Triumph of Time 1652

Editor: Here we have Jacob Jordaens’s *Triumph of Time*, painted in oil in 1652. It’s quite…intense! You have Father Time, large and muscular, scything away at a writhing mass of figures. What really strikes you when contemplating the piece is the brutal and visceral scene in front of your eyes; all of the nude bodies and all the violence are visually jarring. What do you make of this piece, its purpose and its symbolism? Curator: Oh, I’m drawn into that struggle, aren't you? Jordaens is pulling no punches! I think we are faced with a quintessential Baroque vision: exuberant, dramatic, and really laying bare the human condition. The 'Triumph of Time' is allegorical, of course. What seems initially violent transforms into commentary, inviting us to confront our mortality with disarming candor. Don't those cherubs look mischievous rather than sad to you? Editor: I do see what you mean, especially given Father Time isn't presented as evil incarnate; he has these children on him. What do the writhing figures represent, then? Vanities, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! Or youth, beauty, pleasure, power… anything that Time relentlessly conquers. Jordaens isn't preaching despair, I think. Consider how alive this is, and colorful. We, the viewers, can see how the old man can appear as something playful. It reminds us that change is constant, inevitable – even strangely beautiful in its way. And hey, at least we get art out of the struggle! Don’t you think? Editor: Definitely something to consider when confronted with the image; thanks for sharing your thoughts. It seems this work becomes much more of an exploration of life when considering it through that lens. Curator: Glad to bring my perspective.