Wonderlijke ziekte van weeskinderen te Amsterdam, 1566 1725 - 1784

Editor: This print, “Wonderlijke ziekte van weeskinderen te Amsterdam, 1566,” by Simon Fokke, feels both incredibly detailed and slightly unsettling. It's like a frozen scene of chaos unfolding, especially with the children seemingly throwing themselves from the orphanage. What’s your initial reaction to it? Curator: You know, it reminds me a little of a fever dream. The scene itself is so orderly in its composition, almost architectural with the clean lines of the orphanage looming large, yet the actions depicted are so… theatrical, unhinged. Are they diving, jumping, or falling? There's an element of the absurd that almost veils the real tragedy – which makes you question how "truthful" historical prints can be. How much artistic license can we spot, do you think? Editor: That’s a good point about the theatricality. The gestures of the adults, pointing and reaching, seem almost staged. It does feel far removed from a straightforward historical document. What is this wonderful sickness they mention? It's a bit on the nose. Curator: Isn’t it? What Fokke implies can be something psychological… almost performative. If this drawing aimed to warn people or teach some morale... Was it an act, were they really sick, were they faking being ill to find attention? Perhaps Fokke wants us to feel unsettled. After all, sickness affects those directly implied as much as their social circles. Do you think it resonates nowadays? Editor: Definitely. There's a timelessness to it. You look at the chaos of it, and it echoes in the things that we still struggle to communicate about trauma. I think it resonates because it dares us to confront those complexities instead of neatly resolving them. I love its disquieting presence! Curator: Me too. There’s beauty to be found in pieces that stick with you like that. A print this intricate can give chills!