ART WORK: THE ALCHEMIST

The Alchemist was painted by Cornelis Bega. It was made in 1663 and it is oil on panel. The dimensions are 14 x 12 1/2 in.

Upon looking at this image at the Getty, I found myself rather astonished by the veracity of the man. He seems so intent on making his experiment and looking with his watchful eye for any sudden changes that might surprise him. I felt that the chaotic space that he was put in not only showed his willingness for the subject of alchemy but almost for an obsession. He has become so enveloped in his experiments that he no longer cares for his surroundings. The small room is left in a chaotic mess and the only thing that receives his attention is the experiment in his hand. The dark colors made me feel almost as if the artist was saying, "Throughout the night the man worked and strived for an answer; it was something he was longing for with all of his heart!"

In the picture, the artist is surrounded by paraphernalia. He holds a scale while measuring the ingredients to make gold. By the 17th century, alchemy was not something that was looked upon as something of worth. The practitioners were made fun of and deemed as useless. This picture was painted as a genre scene. The artist made this to comment on the time that was being wasted on hollow pursuits. The artist, Cornelis Bega, was very good with naturalistic details and with this he showed the textures and surfaces perfectly with the cracked pottery and other clay objects in the room. The imaginary source of light that pours through the window gives a sense of warmth towards the man and his surroundings.