Ziet jonge jeugd / hier kunt gy leeren / Hoe men in de waereld moet verkeeren 1725 - 1780

Curator: This curious piece is titled "Ziet jonge jeugd / hier kunt gy leeren / Hoe men in de waereld moet verkeeren," dating from sometime between 1725 and 1780. It’s attributed to Johannes Kannewet and the materials include printmaking techniques like woodcut and engraving. What jumps out at you? Editor: Oh, my goodness, it's like a 18th-century meme! Each little panel a bite-sized story. It has this almost innocent, yet sly energy, like someone whispering secrets in your ear about how the world really works. It feels both ancient and oddly relatable, a little gem. Curator: You’ve nailed it; it operates almost like a comic strip, designed to impart lessons on navigating the world. The symbols at play really underscore the narrative aspect. Note, for example, how the scenes involving animals – a camel, winged creatures – stand out starkly. Editor: Absolutely! Animals often represent base instincts or foreign concepts. And these aren't cuddly animals. The camel, maybe suggesting long journeys and resilience, but the winged things? The realm of the symbolic and grotesque, a bit menacing if I'm being honest. Curator: It taps into that vein of moralizing genre art common during the Dutch Golden Age – reflecting on societal expectations, how to be good, how to be savvy. Printmaking made these ideas far more accessible to the general population, so you can almost imagine people poring over these images and debating their meaning. Editor: Mass culture of its day! Which raises the fascinating aspect that humor—often sharp and darkly satirical—played a significant role in how these morals were received and remembered. Even though many of the precise meanings of individual symbols or scenarios may have escaped our complete understanding today, that knowing wink remains. Curator: Exactly. This artwork is less a rigid instruction manual and more of an engaging conversation starter, delivered across centuries. It invites us to consider the eternal challenges of navigating society. Editor: And to ponder what narratives will sum up our strange world, some centuries from now. What will someone make of our memes then, I wonder? A glimpse into ourselves. Food for thought.