Zwevende putto 1574 - 1651

Curator: This is Abraham Bloemaert’s “Zwevende putto”, a work believed to have been created sometime between 1574 and 1651. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What’s your initial impression? Editor: Hmm, looks like someone took a cherubic tumble out of heaven! It's mostly grayscale but with a warmth in the sketch lines that keeps it from feeling cold, despite the somber shading. Curator: The drawing utilizes ink on paper and is representative of the Baroque style, emphasizing dynamic movement and emotion, though here it feels remarkably restrained. Do you see evidence of preliminary marks? Editor: Definitely. Look at the arms, it appears that Bloemaert has revised the position several times! Gives the cherub a sense of animation, like a stop-motion figure catching its balance mid-air. There’s an innocence in the subject that really balances the darker tones. Curator: Yes, Baroque wasn’t always just grandiosity, Bloemaert focuses on quiet character studies like this as well. The composition itself seems to direct our eye upwards, against an implied diagonal... what purpose does this have? Editor: Oh, totally creates that sensation of upward movement, which gives our little putto more dimension. It’s interesting that the shading becomes most dense in areas that suggest depth: beneath his chin, around his calves. You know, he's cute, but he also seems lost. Curator: Exactly, the figure balances a feeling of ascendance with something almost melancholy, capturing humanity within divinity. Bloemaert did dozens of similar studies; what do you make of such detailed explorations? Editor: I would wager these studies are to explore emotion with a wide vocabulary to imbue them in future narrative works and perhaps, these more subdued sketches are a welcome emotional release, just playing with an idea. Thank goodness for artistic breathing room! Curator: In the end, it shows us how something seemingly simple—a sketch of a floating cherub—can reveal such depth with its gentle lines. Editor: It makes me think about those fleeting, uncaptured feelings. That’s always welcome in this era! Thanks for highlighting this drawing today.