Samson met de ezelskaak 1586 - 1590

Editor: So, this is Hendrick Goltzius's "Samson with the Jawbone of an Ass," made with charcoal around 1586-1590. It depicts, well, Samson, triumphant. The swirling charcoal gives a sense of intense movement and dust in the air, and, I guess, a powerful image! What do you see in this piece that maybe I’m missing? Curator: Missing? Never! I see… Well, imagine being Goltzius, almost feeling Samson's grit and triumph through that charcoal. But for me, it’s more than the raw power. Look at how the scene’s composed; Samson strides forward, yet the viewpoint asks, who *is* that small figure at the very left copying Samson's stance? Could they represent something – like maybe a mirror on humanity, of one’s will and one’s capacity for strength, or cruelty? What do you think? Editor: Hmmm, interesting point... Almost as if he's asking us to consider our relationship to violence and triumph. He kind of holds it at arms’ length – with the ass’s jawbone! Curator: Precisely! The ass's jawbone – not some glorious sword, but the mundane transformed into the magnificent, do you not think it quite resonates in its own grim kind of way? Makes you wonder about the everyday "weapons" we wield, doesn’t it? Editor: It certainly does! It makes me appreciate how Goltzius uses such basic material to create a very memorable artwork. The shading with charcoal makes all the difference to achieve such atmosphere... I am truly left wondering whether everyone is always fully aware of the tools they are wielding… Curator: Precisely. An old master’s touch can make the ages seem connected. That's what art is to me – an echo and a shout, down the halls of forever. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll never see a charcoal drawing the same way again. Thanks!