Drie ogen waarvan twee met wenkbrauw 1620 - 1647

Editor: Here we have Stefano della Bella’s "Three Eyes, Two with Eyebrows", a pencil drawing on paper, created sometime between 1620 and 1647. There's an interesting intimacy to this study; it almost feels voyeuristic to be examining these eyes so closely. What strikes you most when you look at this drawing? Curator: It's as though Della Bella invites us into his studio, right? I find myself drawn to the almost clinical observation, juxtaposed with the sheer expressiveness he manages to capture with just a few strokes. There's a vulnerability, an unguarded quality to these eyes. I can't help but wonder if he was studying a reflection, perhaps even his own. What do you make of the varying levels of finish – that single, defined eye versus the sketchier ones below? Editor: I wondered that too! Maybe it's a study in progress, showcasing different angles and levels of detail he considered? Almost like a sculptor working on clay models before a final sculpture. But how does it connect with its time? Does the Baroque style play a role? Curator: Absolutely. Think of the Baroque fascination with drama and heightened emotion. Even in these isolated studies, we see that attention to detail, that striving to capture not just the likeness, but the essence of the subject, distilled down to the windows of the soul. Did Della Bella succeed at capturing this? Or what is it that we bring as viewers that completes it? Editor: So, maybe the 'unfinished' nature allows us, as viewers, to project our own interpretations, our own emotions, onto those eyes. That is powerful. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps it's less about what Della Bella intended, and more about what he allows us to feel and to imagine. These aren't just anatomical studies; they're invitations. It reminds me that art isn't just about what we see, but what we feel, what we *remember* seeing. Editor: I’ll never look at a simple eye sketch the same way. Thanks for opening my eyes to that.