The Deluge 1681

Curator: Just looking at this, the word that comes to mind is “suffocating.” It’s all so claustrophobic and desperate. Editor: This is Gérard Edelinck's "The Deluge," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. What strikes me is how Edelinck utilizes the classical motif of the flood, a symbolic purification. It's not just about destruction. Curator: But the people are so… active! Clambering over each other, clinging to trees. It feels less like divine cleansing and more like utter chaos. Editor: The bodies, rendered in such detail, become symbols of mortality and helplessness. And the ark in the background, it's a tiny vessel of hope amidst despair. Curator: Hope, yes, but also a premonition. It's a fascinating blend of terror and… maybe a grudging acceptance? Editor: I agree. Edelinck has really captured the duality of the narrative, the end and the beginning simultaneously. Curator: Well, now I just feel…drained. It makes you wonder, what do we hold onto when the waters rise? Editor: Perhaps, the enduring power of stories like this one, always resurfacing, reminding us of our fragility.