Venezolaanse en Braziliaanse begrafenisrituelen 1721

Editor: This is "Venezolaanse en Braziliaanse begrafenisrituelen," or "Venezuelan and Brazilian Funeral Rituals," an engraving made in 1721 by Bernard Picart. It depicts two scenes, one above the other, and the detail is incredible! What strikes me most is the stark contrast between the active rituals and, in the top panel, those…skeletons hanging there. It’s intense. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Picart’s work really pulls us into another world, doesn’t it? Imagine stumbling upon these rituals, completely foreign to European eyes at the time. There’s a scientific curiosity at play here, a desire to document and, let’s be honest, exoticize. But beyond the surface, I see a reflection on mortality, presented through very different cultural lenses. Note how the top scene, perhaps intended to be 'more barbaric' shows an actual interaction with deceased ancestors displayed to honor and venerate the family line. Editor: That’s interesting. I was sort of judging the skeleton display... like, morbid curiosities, or trophies, as you put it! Curator: And you can! It's how we reconcile that clash, how we respond emotionally, that makes art so compelling. Does this challenge what we are used to or how we deal with the deceased within our own families and society? Does the image instill fear, and fascination or both at once? We can see the Brazilians at play and "involved" as if attempting to maintain interaction with their ancestors in preparation for their spirit to move on and to maintain connection for those who remain. That, to me, suggests Picart's personal struggle when dealing with the cultural diversity displayed before him. Editor: It is powerful to be drawn into a personal introspection of life and death through an image. I’m now seeing that these images reveal how other cultures grapple with grief. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! Perhaps next time we can find even more buried truths when engaging art outside of what is common or customary to ourselves and what those buried messages reveal to us when challenged to look deeper within ourselves.