Portret van Johannes de Mey 1660

Editor: We’re looking at Jonas Suyderhoef's "Portret van Johannes de Mey" from 1660, created using engraving techniques. The subject's gaze is rather intense, and the oval framing almost gives him a sense of floating. It's striking. What initially captures your attention when you see this work? Curator: You know, I see a man caught between worlds. Literally! The sharp lines of the engraving – that’s the structured world, the age of reason dawning, all neat and tidy. Then there's Johannes himself, that gentle almost-smile and weary eye. Does he fully subscribe to that order? I wonder. Perhaps the rigid borders of this world don't constrain what he can share with his students? What I see in this print isn't so much the clean lines, as the invitation into someone's spirit. You feel that, don’t you? Editor: I do feel that. And, I didn’t notice that gentle smile at first, but now that you mention it… How did you even *see* that? Maybe this portrait has multiple interpretations after all! Curator: The longer you gaze, the less this is a man behind glass and the more he becomes alive and inviting. How wonderful to stop by and get a slice of that eternal invitation that is Suyderhoef's Johannes de Mey. Editor: Absolutely! This makes me think differently about how we perceive historical figures; they're more than just names and dates.