The Earth after the Fall of Man 1690

Editor: So, here we have "The Earth after the Fall of Man," an oil painting from 1690 by Franz Rösel von Rosenhof, currently residing at the SMK. It strikes me as wonderfully chaotic, like a zoological fever dream. All those animals crammed together! What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Chaotic is a good word! For me, it’s a landscape vibrating with a nervous energy. Look at how Rosenhof throws animals together, biblical and exotic— a bizarre menagerie painted with an almost unsettling precision. What's more unsettling: the knowledge that humans aren't there, or that if we were, we'd be powerless to impact what already happened? What kind of world exists when humans remove themself? Editor: So it’s more than just animals; it’s an entire ecosystem without us, but bearing our legacy? That’s fascinating. Are those winged creatures mythical, like that lion? Curator: Absolutely! Rosenhof blends reality and fantasy. I imagine him hunched over, painting in a dimly lit study, lost in his own world while the actual world outside buzzed with very real problems. Creating an imaginary place like this seems like an…escape? What's more powerful, depicting a scene of loss or the space of imagining and visualizing it? Editor: It’s definitely got that escapist vibe now that you mention it, like a proto-fantasy novel cover. I originally felt a kind of manic energy but also see the sadness in humanity’s absence now, a ghostly footprint if you will. Curator: Exactly! It’s a melancholic fantasy, really. The end is already over; all we're left with is Rosenhof’s echo. I can think of worse bequests. Editor: Agreed! It makes me appreciate how much the fantastic can speak to real anxieties and past events. Thanks for sharing your perspective!