Smaak 1607 - 1637

Editor: So, this is "Smaak" – "Taste" – an engraving by Willem de Passe, created sometime between 1607 and 1637. It's fascinating! It gives off this slightly mischievous vibe, with the well-dressed couple and… is that a monkey? What do you make of it all? Curator: Ah, yes, Willem de Passe. "Taste" - one of our more delightful visual bonbons. It is more than a snapshot of period revelry, more than a historical burp. Consider this engraving through the lens of its time. Can you see the thread of satire woven within its lines? It is rather like finding a whisper of irony amid the pomp. Do you think it hints at more profound questions concerning indulgence, class, and, daresay, the absurdity of sensory pursuit? Editor: I definitely see the indulgence with the drinking, and… is that Cupid stealing from the basket? But satire? I guess I was focusing on the surface details – the clothes, the monkey, which feels so random. Curator: Exactly! Look closer - a monkey pilfering, a Cupid thieving from a woven basket...it's a world turned upside down, perhaps a critique veiled beneath pleasant appearances. Every symbol nudges at social and moral commentaries, playfully challenging the values upheld by its elite audience. Editor: That's... wow, that's a totally different layer than I initially saw. The details that seemed random before, now feel… intentional, almost cheeky. Curator: The 'randomness,' my dear, often sings the loudest! In every fleck of de Passe's work lives something delightfully defiant; a spark reminding us never to gulp things down wholesale. Now, off with you. Go look at art and feel its world bubbling within your chest. Editor: Will do! I’m definitely going to approach art with more questioning, and a wider gaze from now on!