Slapende vrouw met putto 1636 - 1647

Curator: The serenity of this piece is immediately striking. Editor: Indeed. Here we have "Slapende vrouw met putto," or "Sleeping Woman with Putto," an engraving realized sometime between 1636 and 1647, attributed to Cornelis Bloemaert and currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The medium itself, the engraving, imparts a certain quality of light. Curator: The hatching work certainly describes volume with rigorous precision. Consider how the engraver uses linear variation to articulate the drape of her gown. Notice too, the textural contrast achieved by the density of lines in the shadowed areas versus the relative lightness in the illuminated sections. Editor: And that level of control required specific tools, training, and the selection of the plate itself. Think of the engraver, meticulously working the metal, each line an act of intense concentration, reproducing a likely lost or obscure image for distribution, making images accessible through careful manual labor. Curator: Yet, within its figuration lies also the structure. The sleeping figure forms a horizontal, a grounded base for the lively, vertically oriented putto. The artist creates balance within implied asymmetry, consider the dynamic relationship created across the space between these figures. It asks us, what deeper allegorical relation underlies the relationship between the figures? Editor: It feels a bit academic, this level of remove. What materials were readily available to Bloemaert or his publisher to undertake such reproductions? The accessibility and costs of the materials played an integral role. Let’s ground our understanding of artistic production with knowledge of contemporary access to these means. Curator: Your perspective highlights a fascinating tension. Ultimately, it allows us to reconsider both the art object, its social context, and our relationship to the image across centuries. Editor: Yes, reflecting upon the labor behind the art can add greater dimensions to our engagement.