Dwaasheid van drankzucht 1556

Curator: We're looking at a 1556 engraving by Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert called "Dwaasheid van drankzucht," which translates to "The Folly of Drunkenness," currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. My first thought? It's chaotic! So much activity, and all in these intricate lines. Editor: It is intensely busy, isn't it? Almost like a fever dream visualized. And immediately striking is the composition; the way it visualizes power structures through its chaotic and somewhat menacing energy. The central figure hoisting a cage is... well, unsettling. Curator: He does have this desperate, almost crazed look, doesn’t he? And notice what's in the cage— it looks like figures revelling in their drunken states, and the man in control seemingly fuelled by it? The symbolism seems pretty on the nose here, playing into typical narratives and attitudes of its time. Editor: Precisely. That the drunken subjects are confined in the cage emphasizes the loss of agency when controlled by addiction. What is particularly striking is the inscription on the print - especially the phrase ‘how long shall fools delight in things which will be harmful’ which underscores a very grim moralizing lens typical of Dutch Golden age art. It places drunkenness not merely as pleasure seeking but one that is damaging. The work makes you confront broader questions about social control. Curator: Absolutely, that moral weight hangs heavy in the print’s atmosphere, especially through all those sharp lines used in the etching, giving the piece an urgency and an overall tense feeling. And there is some gallows humor, if you ask me - just looking at the faces in the crowd and those being suspended above with their little cups... it's like a darkly comical performance. Editor: Comical, perhaps, if one overlooks the societal condemnation dripping from every detail. But is that perhaps also part of its genius? It acknowledges pleasure even as it chastises the mode through which it is attained. The composition cleverly frames the scene against ruined architecture and stormy skies, almost alluding to an apocalyptic downfall - and it seems that we're left to question what role our indulgences will play in that scenario. Curator: It all coalesces into a haunting image - quite memorable despite the relatively limited tonal range of engravings. I suppose "memorable" is an understatement: I certainly won’t forget about the grimacing guy any time soon! Editor: An important commentary on societal failings; in this print Coornhert does what any true artist of their time would: offer social critique with the dark tones necessary to reflect such fraught circumstances.