Gezichtsuitdrukkingen van geweldige beweging, misnoegen, jaloezie en smart 1692 - 1711

Editor: This drawing by Pieter Schenk, dating roughly from 1692 to 1711, is at the Rijksmuseum. It's called "Facial Expressions of Great Emotion, Displeasure, Jealousy and Grief" and it's executed in pen. What strikes me most are the raw, almost exaggerated emotions. How do you interpret this array of faces? Curator: Ah, yes. It’s a fascinating study, isn't it? Look closely at those lines, that furious cross-hatching around the brows. Do you sense a certain... theatricality? To me, Schenk isn't just mapping emotions; he’s building a stage, setting up archetypes for a drama. Each face seems a caricature, pulled from the popular Baroque idea of humors – bodily fluids dictating personality. What emotional state resonates the most with you? Editor: Perhaps the "Motus Doloris" – the movement of grief – there's a weary sadness that feels universal, even now. Is it common for artists to do such focused emotion studies? Curator: Absolutely. Think of it as an actor preparing for a role, mining their emotional landscape for truth, or a scientist dissecting a frog, but much more poetically. These weren’t just for show; they informed larger history paintings, portraits meant to evoke particular reactions. It also prompts reflection – Do we always feel pure emotions, or is it usually a mash-up, a "Motus compositus," as Schenk puts it? Editor: That’s true, seeing them displayed like this really breaks it down. Curator: Precisely! He is taking the temperature, testing how to convey deep, personal experience, yet he’s providing building blocks; it really becomes all about the parts of emotion we actually show to the world. Editor: That’s given me a completely different way of seeing these drawings now. Curator: And for me, it underlines how relevant Baroque drama can still be! Thank you for the chat!