Bethlehemse kindermoord en Christus temidden van geleerden 1791

Editor: Here we have Simon Fokke's engraving from 1791, titled "Bethlehemse kindermoord en Christus temidden van geleerden," housed at the Rijksmuseum. It's a striking print showing two distinct scenes. I’m struck by the clear, almost stark contrast between the chaos above and the quiet deliberation below. How do you interpret this diptych from a formalist perspective? Curator: Indeed, Fokke has structured this composition with careful attention to balance and contrast. Consider the upper register. The artist orchestrates a scene of dynamic action—the infanticide—through agitated figures and linear density. Lines are sharp, hurried, and create a sense of frenetic movement. Then, shift your gaze to the lower register: Christ among the scholars. Notice how Fokke employs calmer, more deliberate lines to depict the figures engaged in discourse. The composition is more contained, the figures are less frenzied, the diagonals less acute. Observe how the formal qualities, the lines themselves, evoke different emotional registers, no? Editor: That’s a great point, especially when noting how the diagonals add to the movement and emotional weight of the scenes. So, the emotional register relies on line quality and form rather than subject matter. Curator: Precisely. It's about the structural elements creating a system of visual signs. Ask yourself, how does Fokke use the conventions of linear perspective, and the play of light and shadow, to construct depth and guide the viewer's eye within each scene? Notice how both scenes are bounded by classical architecture? Fokke sets up formal relationships to express an argument about contrast and order. Editor: The architecture is quite rigid against the violent actions depicted in the top scene! I had missed that, but that’s quite telling. Seeing this purely from the compositional form enhances its communicative ability and reveals new perspectives for engagement!