Een eenhoorn verjaagt hagedissen uit een vijver 1600

Editor: Here we have Antonio Tempesta's engraving from 1600, “A Unicorn Chasing Lizards from a Pond." What strikes me first is the contrast between the rather sturdy, almost muscular unicorn and the teeming little ecosystem it’s disrupting. It feels… chaotic, but in a purposeful way. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, chaos with purpose! I love that. It makes me think of those moments when our most cherished beliefs – unicorns, virtue, whatever you like – crash headfirst into the messy reality of life, represented by those startled lizards and snakes. Virtute...virtue alone triumphs? I'm not so sure Tempesta thought so. Look at that sky, pregnant with storm. Is the unicorn actually saving anything or just…stirring the pot? Editor: That's a great point about the virtue. I was taking it at face value. The sky does give it a very different feel – more ominous. So, maybe it's not about simple heroism? Curator: Exactly! Perhaps it's a commentary on the limitations of idealistic thinking when confronted with the complicated realities of the world. We think we're doing good, banishing those metaphorical 'lizards', but maybe we're just…making things worse. It's like trying to solve a problem with a sledgehammer! I find the landscape, almost violently teeming, speaks to an anxiety of the time. Editor: I see that, the close observation of detail even when representing mythological and imaginative events is powerful. So it’s like, good intentions aren't always enough, and sometimes you just end up disrupting the pond for everyone? Curator: Precisely! Or perhaps… virtue requires a little bit of dirt under its fingernails. After all, the unicorn's horn is pointed right into the water. Perhaps a bit of uncomfortable immersion is the only way to make real change? Editor: Wow, I didn't think about it that way at all. So much more going on than a simple "good versus evil" scenario. Curator: It never is, is it? And that’s what makes art so endlessly fascinating. Thanks, Tempesta, for the chaos! Editor: Indeed. It’s something to ponder!