Uil en andere vogels before 1669

Editor: Before us, we have Henri Le Roy's engraving, "Owl and other birds", created sometime before 1669. It is at the Rijksmuseum, as far as I know. It seems to me that the artist has meticulously constructed the entire plane to suggest an outdoor world and nature. The dark and clear textures give a rather tense feel to this engraving. How do you see this print? Curator: The strength of this image lies in its formal arrangements. Note how the owl dominates the foreground, its textured plumage achieved through a rigorous system of cross-hatching. Consider the visual weight, the artist employs strategic distribution of light and dark to emphasize certain details and create depth, creating a sophisticated arrangement that balances representation and surface articulation. Does that structure reveal anything to you? Editor: I see that you're directing my attention to its surface texture of strokes, or to the contrasts of the image? So it's more about HOW he engraved, less about what he represents. Curator: Precisely. Disregard representational aspects momentarily, consider the relationship between forms. How does the symmetry, or perhaps the asymmetry, influence our interpretation? How do the varied lines give balance to the different weights throughout? It is essential to engage in a critical dialogue with the work to move beyond what you expect to see and feel, and notice how it operates visually. Editor: I now see that I missed this crucial interaction between these precise details and the general idea of the composition, a system of balance. Curator: Understanding that internal formal system is one of the best ways to gain appreciation. Editor: I see, so to truly engage with this work, one must delve beyond the initial thematic elements and really try to analyze this interaction to uncover new meaning, it sounds interesting. Thanks for enlightening me!