De roeping van Mattheus 1650 - 1660

Editor: So, this ink drawing on paper, "The Calling of Matthew," by Nicolaes Maes, dates from the 1650s or 60s. It feels…incomplete, like a fleeting thought captured. What strikes you about it? Curator: Incomplete perhaps, but utterly brimming with potential! It's that Baroque energy, contained but threatening to burst forth. I am fascinated by how Maes conveys a story of such spiritual magnitude with so few lines. See how the figures huddle together, their faces almost hidden, save for the illuminated Matthew. Have you noticed Christ's gaze? Editor: Yes! He's pointing assertively. There’s such confidence in that single gesture, contrasting with the tentative posture of the others. It feels so dynamic. Curator: Absolutely! And what about the setting? Those barely suggested architectural forms; an almost theatrical space hinting at the grandeur to come. What do you think he's trying to say by obscuring details? Editor: Maybe it's about the universal nature of the calling? Less about a specific place, and more about an internal shift that can happen anywhere, to anyone. It is an act of choosing after all, choosing salvation! Curator: Precisely! Maes isn’t merely illustrating a biblical story; he is inviting us into a moment of profound personal transformation. It begs us to think about what exactly a 'calling' can be! Editor: I never thought of it that way before. I guess I was so focused on the story itself I overlooked the bigger invitation to reflect. I love the artist's focus on the choice, not on the background! Curator: Exactly. That is a choice indeed. It truly reminds us that a single line, a single choice, can carry more weight than the most elaborate depiction.