Drie ronde vormen, gesloten 1605

Curator: Well, here we are looking at “Three Round Forms, Closed” by Jan van de Velde I, created in 1605. It’s a drawing using ink, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Striking, isn't it? Editor: Strikingly simple! Three shapes… eggs, portals, vacant stares… on a delicate aged surface. They appear to float; it feels quite minimalist for the period, actually. What exactly am I meant to be looking at? Curator: Precisely that simplicity is the key. I imagine Van de Velde was exploring pure form and space. This piece, devoid of context, becomes an exploration of geometric shapes in a way that anticipates modern abstraction, don't you think? A rebellion against realism. Editor: A rebellion perhaps only visible through the lens of centuries. Think about the socio-political landscape of the Dutch Golden Age, though. This abstraction comes at a time of immense societal upheaval, doesn't it? Religious reformation, nascent capitalism… Did the artist intend this to act as an escape from such concrete realities? A refuge in pure, non-referential form? Or might it subtly critique that very societal “order”? Curator: Or perhaps, a quiet meditation on what constitutes order. The Golden Ratio whispers from within, you know? Though simple at first glance, these closed forms invite me to think about completion, containment. It feels quite introspective, almost womb-like, if I may. They may be more symbolic than abstract. Editor: Womb-like spaces are inherently political. Who is allowed to exist comfortably within those spaces? Who is excluded, deemed “outside” the circle of safety or belonging? Perhaps it's a statement on social exclusion… Or, flipping it, a celebration of a closed community, a space for resistance outside the controlling gaze. Curator: I suppose my impulse is to see these shapes as puzzles. Something deeply personal; they seem to hold hidden truths waiting to be revealed through contemplation. Editor: And I wonder about how those truths are accessible— or inaccessible— based on who holds the key, based on systemic power dynamics. It’s like van de Velde’s drawing holds a multitude of stories, depending on where you stand when you are viewing them. Curator: I love that. It confirms for me, I think, that it’s precisely their emptiness that fills them. Editor: Leaving us space to draw those ever-contested borders ourselves.