Het viertal Evangelieschryvers, / Vol geests, vol vuurs verstands en yvers [(...)] 1715 - 1813

Curator: This print, titled "The Four Evangelists," created sometime between 1715 and 1813 by A. Robyn, is quite striking. It lives at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression? It's got a captivating, almost hypnotic, swirling energy despite being static. The detail feels immense and tiny at the same time! What medium is it? Curator: It's an engraving, a form of graphic art. You see each Evangelist encased in these oval frames with their symbolic animals; the angel for Matthew, the lion for Mark… they are practically dancing within the composition. Editor: The use of the printmaking is fascinating here. It reduces the visual field to almost a binary: dense clusters of lines and total absence, and forces you to consider what materials and labor might’ve gone into each separate print in this series. I suppose these were almost mass-produced… religious ephemera. Curator: That's an interesting angle. Considering its Baroque style, which emphasized grandeur and detail, perhaps these were intended to both inform and inspire devotion—a kind of accessible art for the masses. Editor: It makes me wonder about the consumption aspect. Were these hung in homes? Used in personal devotion? I mean, given the material, paper, it must’ve had a short lifespan, creating a repetitive need. It adds a completely different element to our understanding of art history, the material one, rather than simply art historical one. Curator: It’s fascinating to think of art as a recurring domestic "need," providing faith like food. Looking at the expressions—the contemplative gazes of the evangelists writing their Gospels—I feel a profound sense of dedication. Like they were compelled to tell the story, etching it into history one mark at a time. It’s almost... devotional. Editor: Compelled maybe by faith, but I keep considering the book publishers noted at the bottom and their role here as well, mass producing these prints. Curator: Ultimately, I find a poignant blend of artistry and religious fervor, each carefully etched line bearing witness to belief and dedication. Editor: And each sheet, no doubt handled with the same blend of reverence and pragmatic industry. It’s this friction, I think, between faith and labor that makes this piece particularly compelling for me.