Roof van Europa 1670 - 1697

Editor: This engraving, titled "Roof van Europa" or "Rape of Europa," was created between 1670 and 1697 by Paul van Somer II and currently resides in the Rijksmuseum. The detailed lines and baroque style feel both epic and strangely intimate. There's a real sense of drama as the figures gesture. What catches your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, what *doesn't* catch my eye! It's a baroque bonbon, isn't it? A flurry of flowing lines depicting a charged moment... and yet, so poised. The scene vibrates with tension, a visual paradox I find utterly captivating. There is this subtle contrast, you know? One wonders, does Europa seem to resist, or is she a willing participant in this abduction? And how does the landscape play into it for you? Editor: I initially read it as abduction because of the women on the shoreline reaching out towards Europa; but I now see that the cherubs framing the bull add another layer – almost of romantic celebration? It messes with my head a little. Curator: Precisely! That visual push and pull, it is the dance that I like! It is as if you are stepping into Ovid’s *Metamorphoses* – we, too, are caught in transformation! Think about the engraver's task, all those lines. Like threads, binding myth to mortal experience, creating something altogether new. A world emerges, a thought comes to mind. This act creates Europe, somehow. Editor: That's a really interesting perspective. The idea of the act creating the place adds depth. Curator: Art can do that, you know. Give birth to a new space. It opens you to questions. The world does the rest. Editor: I’m starting to see the Baroque isn't always grand and ornate; it's also about that moment of change. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: And thank *you* for prompting me to really look anew!