Virgil 1665 - 1668

Curator: This is "Virgil," an oil painting created by Girolamo Troppa between 1665 and 1668. You can currently find it here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: Immediately, I see this beautiful struggle between light and shadow. It’s not quite tenebrism, but there's something about the almost theatrical spotlight on his face. Melancholy. Deeply thoughtful. What's he pondering, I wonder? Curator: Troppa, working within the baroque tradition, really understood drama. It is not just in the light, but look how he frames Virgil’s thoughtful gaze upwards with the heavy drape of fabric and looming presence of the dark, gnarled tree in the background. Troppa had been studying classical authors. His inclusion in private homes might be connected to that social movement of the age, focusing on human intellectual progress. Editor: Progress, perhaps. The man is clearly labouring on this piece; it looks like he has not slept in days. Even that laurel wreath atop his head seems slightly… disheveled, as if his genius requires constant exertion. It makes you consider how much the canon depends on personal cost. He almost appears a common beggar. I want to offer him bread. Curator: Interesting. It's true, there’s a grounded quality. He is wearing simple robes rather than glorious garments. However, you do have to consider that he could simply have modeled for this piece. So many of these portraits are not as genuine or immediate as we think. Editor: Well, the painting is still real and present for me! Despite the darkness, or maybe because of it, he almost jumps out of the canvas, pleading. Perhaps to complete the task, the poem? It looks exhausting. Curator: It is an intimate portrayal. Considering the limited circles of those who could afford artworks like this, perhaps such intense portraits would remind their owner to remain humble, remembering to think before speaking and doing. Editor: He also reminds me, as someone always striving in the arts, how powerful inspiration can be and how taxing, at times. Curator: Yes, I think seeing an artist who's now long gone shows that those internal battles continue and may offer comfort to other creative souls through time.