The Devil Fills the Human Heart with Lust for Riches, Power and Pleasure 1548 - 1550

Curator: Good morning, I'm delighted to talk about this intriguing drawing, "The Devil Fills the Human Heart with Lust for Riches, Power and Pleasure," created by Maarten van Heemskerck around 1548-1550. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: What a piece! My immediate thought: darkly whimsical. I love the grotesque figure of the devil actually at work, painting… temptation? Curator: Precisely! He’s illustrating those worldly desires right onto a canvas—a scene of opulence, with figures reaching for crowns and overflowing riches. Van Heemskerck is working in the Mannerist style here, quite popular at the time, that often plays with distortion and exaggeration. You can really see it in the devil's exaggerated musculature and birdlike talons for feet. Editor: That distortion does give the whole image a feeling of unease, doesn't it? But notice also the rather classical figures that flank him? The youthful character, for example, seeming oblivious or perhaps even condoning what the devil is doing? Curator: Yes, you've noticed the tension! Van Heemskerck contrasts classical ideals with the corrupting influence of the devil, reflecting anxieties about morality and the human condition. This was created during the Reformation, remember. Images played a crucial role in theological debates, often acting as moral instruction. Heemskerck positions the viewer to consider the source of desires, and our role in succumbing to them. Editor: Interesting. So it’s less about the devil as a frightening figure, and more about this sly seducer who whispers desires and prompts this sort of arms race towards things of little worth? And he is in effect an artist? Creating something people will aspire to, want to consume… Curator: Exactly! And crafted with fine lines on toned paper, probably originally conceived in an intimate sketchbook—its existence speaks volumes about the artist’s private musings, but it has had an impact on broader public thinking. Editor: Seeing that it's in the Rijksmuseum also reframes its impact. What started as private speculation enters into a public space, where hopefully visitors contemplate the dangers and distractions as much as, say, the next must-have painting! Curator: Well, precisely. It offers an enduring contemplation about human motivations in the game of art and history. Thanks for unpacking its subtle charm with me.