Wraakneming van Achilles 1724

Curator: I see swirling chaos! The etching almost vibrates with fury. Is that our Achilles having a very bad day? Editor: Indeed. This is "Wraakneming van Achilles," or "Achilles' Revenge," an engraving by Bernard Baron, dating back to 1724. Currently, it resides in the Rijksmuseum's collection. Look closely at the lines; their density and direction convey the violence of the scene. Note the Baroque exuberance, that taste for drama! Curator: Baroque drama, right. For me, it’s about something more basic: visceral retribution! That helmeted figure lunging, muscles straining—he's a man possessed. I bet old Achilles wasn’t thinking about elegant compositions at that moment, you know? He just wants to see Hector’s head on a spike! The old score has to be settled... it goes back to how much Achilles was angered over the killing of his buddy Patroclus, isn't it? Editor: Certainly, the engraving captures that sense of righteous fury. But let’s also consider how Baron uses line weight to guide our eye. The strong diagonals formed by the spears and the figures’ limbs create dynamism and lead us to the focal point, the clash between Achilles and Hector. Even the framing architecture on the sides seem to pulsate from within! Curator: Ah, “focal points.” Maybe! But when I really look at Achilles, there’s a sadness etched in his face beneath all that wrath, all that avenging energy is just his loss converted into purpose. Like, if I make my enemies hurt as I have, then it's fair? Of course it won't! But you can see the pain as much as the anger... for me anyway... Editor: That interplay between public spectacle and personal grief seems key to its resonance. The grand narrative of heroic vengeance clashes with the intimate experience of loss. I think that tension encapsulates some of the artistic and human complexity. Curator: You put into the tidy language that it evades… or do you think language can ever contain this wild moment of feeling? Editor: Probably not! Well said. It remains to be seen... perhaps that question itself needs no answer.