Apostel Paulus 1683 - 1746

Editor: We're looking at Nicolaas Verkolje’s "Apostel Paulus" from the late 17th or early 18th century, rendered in ink, pen, and pencil. There’s a somber mood radiating from it. Paul is depicted with a skull. What are your thoughts when you look at this drawing? Curator: This piece truly whispers of time, doesn’t it? I find myself contemplating the dance between mortality and the written word. Note the delicate shading and the intricate detail given to the skull – almost caressing death with the artist's hand. Perhaps it's Verkolje's memento mori, a meditation on life's brevity, juxtaposed with Paul's scholarly pursuit of something eternal through scripture. Do you sense that tension too? Editor: Yes, definitely. The juxtaposition is striking. The skull seems almost like a paperweight! But beyond the 'memento mori' aspect, I wonder about Paul’s inner world at this moment? Curator: Ah, that's the poet in you emerging. Imagine Paul pausing mid-sentence, glancing at the skull – a stark reminder. What words would truly matter in the face of such an undeniable truth? Perhaps Verkolje is inviting us to consider the weight of our own words, our own legacies, and how we choose to spend our fleeting time. Are we writing our lives, or simply letting them be written for us? Editor: That’s a profound way to consider the drawing. It's less about a historical depiction, and more about an eternal, introspective moment. Curator: Exactly! And isn’t that the magic of art? It holds a mirror not just to the world, but to ourselves. Editor: I'll definitely remember that next time I'm looking at art.