Diefstal 1533 - 1567

Curator: Ah, here we have “Diefstal,” or "Theft," an engraving crafted by Enea Vico sometime between 1533 and 1567, currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It feels rather… calculated, doesn't it? The way everything is so carefully etched... Editor: Yes, and the detail is amazing! My immediate impression is one of cold, classical...dare I say it, correctness. A nude man, posed, about to break into what seems like a... jail? What is that thing on his back? Some primitive lockpicks? Curator: Precisely, lockpicks it is! The very materiality of this work strikes me: copperplate engraving allowed for relatively cheap reproduction and dissemination. How very democratic, right? To proliferate imagery and make 'high art' accessible to broader audiences. As for that 'cold correctness', this wasn’t necessarily a common perception in Renaissance Italy, rather the focus was on creating a work showing harmony, proportionality and, as some believe, divine perfection. Editor: Hmm, the proliferation angle is interesting, thinking of images spreading, ideas travelling.... Although, the “theft” motif does feel like something else entirely, doesn't it? He is trapped himself by this, his need. Also the dog sitting to the left has this alert watchful demeanor - like some manifestation of primal loyalty. Curator: It’s all about what labor and capital is being put into creating art... But also about making copies of it accessible for more than a small segment of society... He's freeing himself using his ingenuity - I mean, isn’t art and knowledge of art like freedom itself? He's not imprisoned to my eyes... Just a trickster with a loyal pup trying to create his next opening. Editor: Hmm, well said. I still can't help but sense an undertone of danger and perhaps an unease hovering in the shadow, within those stark lines... It's hard not to think about the consequences here. But regardless of which prison he might find himself in I can appreciate what this represents in regards to freedom of the people. Thank you for offering insight to these thoughts. Curator: And thank you for keeping my imagination alert with such ideas and new impressions. It is easy to overlook our connection to society and ourselves sometimes when approaching pieces like this, but our discourse has offered me much-needed and greatly appreciated grounding today.