A Surgeon Operating on a Foot. The Five Senses: The Sense of Touch 1637 - 1656

Curator: This rather visceral scene before us, rendered in oil on wood, is attributed to Anthonie Victoryns, created sometime between 1637 and 1656. It's titled "A Surgeon Operating on a Foot. The Five Senses: The Sense of Touch". Editor: Oof, immediate impact. It's so earthy and immediate; the subdued palette makes the red of the inflamed skin really pop. Curator: It certainly is unflinching. Beyond the apparent genre scene, what strikes me are the iconographic possibilities embedded in this depiction of physical discomfort. Editor: Interesting angle! To me, this scene screams about the labour conditions and the making process during that era. The coarseness of the wood support itself anchors us to the world of material realities. Notice how Victoryns captures not only the physical labor of the surgeon and his assistants, but also the implicit socio-economic relationships within that room. Curator: Yes, the setting speaks volumes about societal divisions! But also, isn't this also a fascinating depiction of the psychological aspect of 'touch'? The patient is passively awaiting intervention while the other figures surround him, embodying that interaction and sense as a social performance. Editor: Social performance indeed! Looking at those surfaces, those tools... consider the craftsman’s mastery but also consider the sources from which all of that labor stemmed. Even this 'allegory' roots to exploitation. And just see how efficiently, ruthlessly he uses these. Look at how present they are on that scene... Curator: I concede that materiality shapes interpretation, yet I still read multiple layers within this small picture frame! Doesn’t the gesture of examining the foot recall iconic religious paintings? Perhaps not intentional by Victoryns, but it invites connections to art history… Editor: Perhaps we differ on the core subject here. The tools dictate the interaction: you are subjected to whatever that can perform in front of the patient with nearly no medical advances. Those containers or working spaces determine how efficiently or humanly Victoryns has rendered those scenes... To me that tells a different, real narrative here. Curator: Well, whatever its most direct reference, “A Surgeon Operating on a Foot” definitely makes one appreciate both its artistry and lasting themes through an analytical discussion like ours today. Editor: Yes, to understand both its process of creation as much as what inspired the artist to create something like this helps bridge the distances of its context to present viewers like us today.