Aanvang van het jaar 1785 en overlijden van Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol 1785

Editor: Here we have a metal medal, “Aanvang van het jaar 1785 en overlijden van Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol,” made in 1785 by Johan George Holtzhey and currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. It is small, but strikes me as monumental, full of these really striking allegorical figures. How do you see this work? Curator: It is through close inspection of these figures, their precise placement and relationship to one another within the frame, that one truly understands the engraving's effect. Consider how Holtzhey uses line, particularly in the radiating light, to direct the eye, creating distinct visual hierarchies and signifying levels of importance. Editor: So, you’re focusing on how the different compositional elements shape the viewing experience? Curator: Precisely. Note the contrast between the rigid, classical forms and the dynamic postures. Does this not contribute to the medal's visual tension? Furthermore, analyze the negative space, and you recognize how this shapes our reading. This space, by drawing attention to those forms, enables to read their stories and, perhaps more importantly, to question them. Editor: Interesting. So, by focusing on these visual choices—line, space, the arrangement of forms—we can really unpack not just what’s depicted, but how we're meant to interpret it. Curator: Indeed. By stripping back external contexts and viewing this work purely through its intrinsic qualities, we get to that more essential, structural meaning. Editor: That emphasis on form offers a different point to understand the images. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. The formalism exposes that there are stories that a more pure art may uncover.