The quack 1650 - 1660

Editor: Right, so we’re looking at Jan Steen’s oil painting, "The Quack", dating back to sometime between 1650 and 1660, capturing a busy, Dutch Golden Age scene. There’s definitely a darkly humorous tone about the piece. What captures your attention most when you look at it? Curator: Well, my dear student, doesn’t it feel like stepping into a stage play, a very crowded, somewhat absurd one at that? Steen was brilliant at capturing the human comedy, that theater of life that unfolds wherever we gather. I see a mirror reflecting back our own vulnerabilities and follies. And do you notice how everyone seems to be acting? It's wonderfully exaggerated. Is that charlatan’s remedy really doing any good, or is it pure showmanship? What do *you* think is actually happening in the work? Editor: It looks like a scene unfolding, with the “quack” holding court and dispensing what one can only assume are bogus remedies. A whole town is captured! It seems… chaotic. I hadn't considered that the whole piece is a performative reflection of the characters. Curator: Chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. Steen doesn’t judge these people; he observes them with an affectionate, even indulgent eye. There’s an empathy there, wouldn't you say? Even for the fellow getting his foot examined in a wheelbarrow? He sees their desires, their fears, their sheer, comical humanity, and holds it up for us to see our shared traits. A good question, really, to ask ourselves here might be: where do *we* find ourselves in this chaotic scene? Editor: So, it’s more than just a depiction of a time period; it’s an exploration of human nature itself. The layers Steen adds...amazing. Thank you for making me see beyond the immediate absurdity. Curator: Anytime. Perhaps next time we can ponder if Steen himself ever needed the quack's "cure." Until then!