Lucht 1700 - 1800

Curator: What a delicate scene. Frederick Bloemaert’s etching, titled “Lucht,” made sometime in the 18th century, captures a quiet moment. The title simply means "air" or "sky" in Dutch. Editor: "Quiet" is an understatement! My immediate reaction is melancholic. The limited palette, the two figures seemingly distanced from one another despite being physically close... it evokes isolation. And those winged figures above—are they ascending or falling? Curator: They could be either, couldn't they? Flight and descent, both potentials of air. Angels or mythological figures, perhaps, spirits of the air in Neoplatonic terms? Or, less charitably, Icarus plunging back to earth, hubris punished. Bloemaert, the son of Abraham Bloemaert, after all, moved in a world steeped in allegory. Look closely: The figures are gazing, perhaps praying toward what might be construed as divine light in the upper right. The city on the left—a terrestrial contrast to the celestial realm above. Editor: That light…It almost feels judgmental, not benevolent. And the angle! We, the viewers, are invited into a very male-dominated space; look how nature itself almost conspires to box out female forms. And who are these two figures, really? Are they awestruck or resigned? Perhaps weary of their place in the established order. That one figure reaching upwards - is he trying to connect or, in vain, reach to get OUT? The social strata of the time might lend to that question. Curator: You read a desire for change there; fascinating. I tend to see continuity, particularly the use of conventional symbols—figures looking up at the heavens in hope for respite or meaning—rooted in longstanding cultural yearning. Editor: Oh, there is always some cyclical truth in art - it captures continuity AND also that perpetual need to struggle OUT of the known. It could speak to the social unrest from below. We still search, reach, question the same motifs of "heaven" in our current world as those two in this etching might have from centuries ago. I think "Lucht" captures that endless questioning. Curator: It’s wonderful how the image supports multiple interpretations simultaneously. Seeing both past and present in this tiny scene…bloody wonderful. Editor: Agreed. This etching, though small, feels profoundly relevant. A quiet rebellion frozen in time... gives one a lot to contemplate, I dare say.