Erasmus of Rotterdam 

Curator: Standing before us, we have an engraving entitled "Erasmus of Rotterdam" by Hieronymus Hopfer. Editor: Immediately, there's a striking somberness—a weighty gravity to the image. The contrasts between the tones are so dramatic, casting deep shadows that seem to age Erasmus before our eyes. Curator: Hopfer truly captured the weight of intellect and perhaps a hint of world-weariness in Erasmus's profile. The sharp, precise lines achieved through engraving give a remarkable textural richness, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, that is something. There’s almost an obsessiveness in the meticulous detail— the way each tiny line contributes to the overall form, a system, almost a structural logic built up to portray the very substance of the man, which feels significant. Curator: The print seems to depict two different profiles - a portrait on the bust atop which text is placed; and above it all, an elder man. There are written German and Latin phrases throughout. I think these were placed to invoke Erasmus’ humanistic intellectual activity, using death and learning as mottos and reminders to a life well lived and worthy. Editor: Right. The composition is striking. It almost creates two portraits within the same plane, but one almost obscures and fades above the other, perhaps commenting on the relationship between fame, personality, aging, decay? A sort of semiotic game, really, setting image and text together. Curator: It certainly makes us consider Erasmus beyond a simple likeness. His name echoes through history. In that moment we have both his human figure and his place within eternity… Editor: And maybe that’s the point, isn’t it? Art making and engraving creates immortality… Curator: An incredibly poignant thing to consider within a two-dimensional surface made centuries ago...