Venus in een medaillon 1900 - 1903

Curator: Well, this is a fascinating study! It’s a pencil drawing on paper by Antoon Derkinderen, created sometime between 1900 and 1903, titled *Venus in een medaillon*. Editor: It feels so light, ethereal even. The figures, the borders… it's almost as if I am gazing at a stained glass window in its early stages. What particularly draws my eye is the symbolism woven throughout. Curator: Symbolism certainly is key here! Derkinderen, deeply entrenched in Symbolist and Art Nouveau aesthetics, uses Venus, the goddess of love, as a central figure. The drawing pulses with organic motifs typical of the period. Editor: I am curious about the inclusion of what appear to be astrological symbols flanking Venus in those circular compartments. And those doves! Is Derkinderen making a specific commentary on love, beauty, and their connection to fate or destiny, especially since there's what looks like scales of justice next to an animal, maybe a dog, or is it a wolf? Curator: That is perceptive! Yes, the scales traditionally represent justice, balance and harmony, while doves, of course, often stand for peace and love. Given his deep understanding of philosophy, the animal represents loyalty and instinct, reflecting Derkinderen's explorations of the harmony between justice, nature, love and morality, framed within his societal view. It's a social commentary delivered with an artistic finesse. Editor: And how would this have resonated with the public in the early 1900s? A time marked by rapid social change. How would they read the symbolic weight of a classical goddess alongside modernist artistic sensibilities? Curator: Good question! The blend would have appealed to the educated elite interested in philosophical musings while embracing modernism, also to social reformers championing social justice. It challenges them to consider beauty's role in building a more balanced, ethical, and perhaps more aesthetically refined world. Editor: It truly is an arresting piece. It's got me reflecting on the weight of those symbols as carriers of collective memory! Curator: Absolutely. And for me, seeing it is a reminder of how deeply artists engage with socio-political concerns.