Het gevoel 1712 - 1755

Editor: So, this is "Het Gevoel," or "The Feeling," by Johann Georg Pintz, created sometime between 1712 and 1755. It’s a pen and ink drawing, and it feels incredibly ornate and theatrical. The central scene, framed by these elaborate scrolls, depicts figures near what looks like an altar or brazier. What symbols stand out to you? Curator: The immediate symbols that strike me are, indeed, the brazier with smoke rising – representing, perhaps, divine offering or spiritual aspiration – and the embracing figures. This drawing seems to be reaching into the core of human experience through its allegorical forms. Notice how the surrounding Baroque frame isn't just decoration. It emphasizes the contained, curated nature of “feeling” itself, suggesting emotion can be both powerful and something to be observed or even controlled. How does that relate to cultural norms of the period, you think? Editor: That makes sense. I suppose that the drama, but the need to contain the emotions in that moment and maybe only showing some part of it? The frame makes the whole composition looks self-aware. I wonder how audiences then would react to seeing emotions portrayed so openly, yet contained, especially since feeling is such an universal human experience. Curator: Precisely! Remember, too, that during this era, "feeling" often tied directly to moral instruction. Images frequently carried didactic weight. Do you see any indication of judgment within this little world Pintz created? Consider the poses of the figures or the contrast between light and shadow. What feelings is he trying to conjure? Editor: The woman's pose is protective; there’s tenderness there, but also urgency. So maybe it's not about open emotions, but about human connection as a vital and somewhat vulnerable act. Curator: Indeed. And this little framed allegory then reminds us that art always filters experience through both a cultural and an individual lens. Art allows you to contemplate this complex "feeling", a fragment of cultural history seen from within a subjective artistic vision. Editor: Absolutely, viewing feeling as curated adds another layer to how we perceive it and it offers space for us to appreciate art from our own contexts as well. Thank you.