Aap op de rug van een hond 1667 - 1718

Curator: Isn't this etching, "Aap op de rug van een hond" by Jan Griffier, wonderful? Look how mischievous the monkey seems! Editor: Immediately, it strikes me as bizarrely cheerful. There's a palpable tension though, right? Between the domesticated, collared dog, burdened perhaps, and that rather feral monkey… What paper and inks were typically available to Griffier? It would inform the overall effect. Curator: What do you mean 'burdened?' He seems to be enjoying the moment. To me, it evokes freedom and wild abandon, the dog happily traipsing through the manicured landscape as the monkey surveys the terrain, king of his domain, at one with nature. The lines have such whimsy to them. I think that helps establish a real tone of... joviality. Editor: Well, consider the context – the controlled, almost geometric garden setting… Etching itself is an exacting process! Do we know anything about where Griffier trained, how printmaking entered into his practice, who might have been purchasing these genre scenes? Maybe they are meant as illustrations from literature, children’s books. And there's something of that relationship right? The cost of labor to produce a print is very different than an original artwork... Who had time to laugh like that? Curator: Interesting point. This was quite some time ago – dating the etching to somewhere between 1667 and 1718, which could color the lens with a class element too. But that playful tone… maybe he intended a less subtle humor than we're applying now. There's a childlike innocence as well that feels pretty evident when looking at it for any extended time. I think of the Renaissance ideals, translated to simple observation... what happens in a garden with the right companions? Editor: True, seeing those animal forms against such artificial backdrops – it’s almost comical in that the materiality underscores everything artificial. Griffier had a sophisticated technical grasp. The weight and impression give so much body. That is where his talent meets craft. Still... that cheeky little monkey riding away on his burdened pet... Curator: So many interpretations sparked by this unlikely duo on an adventure! Editor: Exactly. The means of image making provides such interesting context here and ultimately enlivens what could otherwise have remained just charming... and quaint.