Venus vertelt Adonis het verhaal van Hippomenes en Atalanta 1769

Curator: This engraving from 1769, by John Hall after M. B West, is entitled “Venus vertelt Adonis het verhaal van Hippomenes en Atalanta.” It currently resides in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Wow, it has a languid, summery feel, doesn't it? Like a humid afternoon where you're content just to let stories wash over you. The light is so soft, even in the print. Curator: The choice to depict this intimate scene draws on established Baroque allegorical traditions while playing with contemporary notions of genre painting. Think about how Venus's traditionally idealized form intersects here with representations of the everyday, the romantic... and power dynamics. Editor: Oh, power dynamics, for sure! I see Venus reclining, all exposed, and Adonis, standing, with that rather phallic spear... plus the dog is gazing soulfully upwards! Someone definitely wants something here! Does it feel as though it almost reverses that classical gaze of a female artist looking back, creating their interpretation of Adonis, a beautiful Greek figure, or Venus herself? Here it feels much like this narrative pushes more toward a feminine telling. Curator: Exactly. By showing Venus as the active storyteller, the artist seems to be subtly challenging conventional representations of women and myth. Consider the original painting too—was it also challenging masculine perspectives of women's position within the stories and relationships created and maintained? It opens up interesting lines of inquiry related to the politics of seeing, right? Editor: Yes, but then my thoughts are more grounded in a more personal realm... I can relate more to Adonis, tuning out one lover sharing the dramatic demise of previous flings— I could feel that boredom if it were me listening— "Another one? Really?!" Perhaps that's just the perils of contemporary dating though! Curator: (Laughs) Maybe! Though even the casual genre aspect is staged here. But what remains is the interplay between vulnerability, a bit of drama, and this suggestion of narratives being tools to, as you say, shape—or even perhaps dominate— relationships. Editor: Well, now I’m just left wondering if Adonis even managed to follow Hippomenes and Atalanta’s story at all! It all comes off quite funny. Curator: Right? It seems the narrative potential lives far beyond the context of this artwork alone!