Sibille met een boek in beide handen 1520 - 1567

Editor: Here we have "Sibille met een boek in beide handen," or "Sibyl with a book in both hands," a print made sometime between 1520 and 1567 by Lambertus Suavius. The figure seems both powerful and vulnerable to me. What’s your read on this piece? Curator: It’s a fascinating example of Northern Renaissance engraving! Look at how Suavius uses line – hatching, cross-hatching – to create depth and shadow, to sculpt the form of the Sibyl. It’s a dance between light and darkness, isn't it? I feel a sense of stillness but also impending revelation; the moment just before she speaks. The Northern Renaissance masters really captured emotional complexity with seemingly simple visual compositions. Editor: Revelation is a great word for it! Do you think that she is trying to predict the future with her book? Curator: Well, that’s what a Sibyl is known for, isn’t it? A prophetess, a woman of vision and sometimes…utter madness. She holds two books, implying a deep wisdom. Given that nudity was a frequent motif in this period, think of her garb not as dishevelment, but rather classical undress that signals the truth's vulnerability as much as the body. Editor: I see what you mean! Almost like the books themselves represent one side of truth and then her pose represents another, like physical experience. Curator: Exactly! And what’s behind her? See how the light emanates out. What a profound perspective! A good book can enlighten any situation. What's your most resounding thought from examining this art today? Editor: I learned so much more from thinking about the story being portrayed rather than looking at just her. Thanks!