Model poserend als Hercules in academie before 1738

Curator: Before us is a print from before 1738 entitled "Model poserend als Hercules in academie", which translates to "Model posing as Hercules in the academy." It's by Jean Lepautre and part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. It's an engraving. Editor: My first impression is one of a rather stilted theatricality. Hercules looks powerful but strangely posed, almost self-conscious under the academic gaze. Curator: Precisely. What's fascinating is the self-aware interplay between classical mythology and the art academy. Here we see the tradition of history painting, with a live model explicitly cast as Hercules, but in the setting of an artistic workshop. Editor: It makes me think about how the heroic male nude was constructed, both physically and ideologically. You have this raw, hyper-masculine form of the male physique being dissected, commodified almost, through the act of artistic study. There’s an implied power dynamic between the model and the academy members below. Curator: Absolutely, these academies helped to establish and codify certain artistic standards, with roots in ideals of male power that defined what was "proper" art during that historical period. What do you make of the gaze of the men drawing, who, themselves, come from the elite strata of society? Editor: Some of their faces show focus; one almost seems bored. They seem very...aware of their role in the artistic process. How does this perpetuate, or possibly challenge, the very ideas about mythology that the model is enacting? There's this sense that mythology, art, the male form, everything is part of an ongoing performance, which these academy members are helping orchestrate. Curator: Consider that in depicting the creative process so openly, the artist potentially provides critical insight into how society perpetuates specific narratives. How it elevates and sanctifies very limited perspectives about what makes something worth artistic representation. Editor: It makes you wonder what that ‘something’ will mean over time, especially in dialogue with contemporary art now…thanks for giving me space to consider some alternatives! Curator: An interesting proposition to consider while here. Thanks for sharing.