Storm op het Meer van Galilea 1629 - 1740

Curator: The waves feel practically alive! So dramatic. Editor: Absolutely, a wonderful, chaotic piece! What are we looking at? Curator: This is an engraving entitled "Storm on the Sea of Galilee." Though its attribution has been debated, it's now commonly associated with Christoffel van Sichem II, and it's believed to date sometime between 1629 and 1740. We have it here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Van Sichem… the engraving has a powerful biblical reference. Is the symbol of a boat also about navigating our inner selves, through trials? Curator: Exactly! This tumultuous scene depicts the biblical story of Jesus calming the storm, highlighting His divine power and the disciples' faith. Look at those wind spirits looming overhead! Editor: They seem torn straight out of classical mythology. Their presence adds an ancient symbolic layer, the idea that these natural forces were once understood as willful beings, almost elemental gods. And they point these beams of light towards the water; the light seems like judgment and purification! Curator: Beautifully put! And it shows, I think, the essence of Baroque art: a combination of high drama and deep religious meaning meant to inspire awe and convey the intensity of spiritual experience. You can feel the boat pitching wildly; those poor souls look terrified! Editor: Right, see how tightly the figures are grouped together? It heightens the feeling of vulnerability against the immensity of nature's power. And yet there is this one sleeping man in the ship; this person, presumably Jesus, sleeps during an event where all seems lost! The image speaks to a deeper anxiety and also calm we can all aspire towards. The figures clinging together offer hope against that primal fear, as if whispering we have each other to keep our eyes on what lies ahead. Curator: What I find moving is its rawness despite the delicacy required to create this work in this artistic language. It captures a timeless theme: our eternal struggle between fear and faith in the face of life’s storms. It shows how tiny we humans are, really! Editor: And how connected to something larger than us, or each other. I like how this makes one wonder about all those lost voices that have traveled the world over troubled waters.