Beschouwt hier kinderen! een agttal wilde dieren, / Die weinig ons bekend, ja vreemde landen tieren 1781 - 1828

Curator: Here we have "Beschouwt hier kinderen! een agttal wilde dieren, / Die weinig ons bekend, ja vreemde landen tieren", a print dating from 1781 to 1828. It resides in the Rijksmuseum and is credited to Hermanus van Lubeek. It’s a fascinating piece rendered with pen and engraving. Editor: My immediate response is a kind of austere charm. The compartmentalized composition is very structured, like a children's book plate, and the engravings have such deliberate lines. A restricted color palette. What do you make of this, considering what you're saying about date and location? Curator: Well, its symbolism resides in that exact compartmentalization— a way of organizing and, indeed, domesticating the exotic. Note the somewhat naïve rendering of the animals. They’re wild beasts, but depicted within these contained vignettes. There’s an inherent tension in that. The artist mediates a sense of wonder, presenting imagery through both art and pedagogy. What might the different beasts featured stand for? Editor: Right, that tension definitely plays out in how the materials interact with form. The crispness of the line, the tonal consistency of the printmaking… It’s striving for a rational order but can’t quite escape a certain playfulness or whimsy inherent to its nature. To answer you on the beasts, I suppose each vignette carries a bit of micro-narrative potential based upon shape and proximity and placement. Curator: Absolutely! Each animal embodies cultural associations projected upon it. Take the elephant – its inclusion speaks to both its status as an object of wonder, signifying power, but its presence signifies a familiarity stemming from illustrations of popular encyclopedias, travels, or even colonial trade! Its placement in this composition makes such ideas readily clear. Editor: Looking at it now knowing this, it is very easy to get absorbed within. These small but considered areas that capture the feel for something bigger than each discrete visual plane. Thank you for the introduction! Curator: The pleasure was mine. And I leave with further thoughts to contemplate.