a quiddity

In the 17th century a quiddity was "a riddling road to illumination."
When feasting on a still life masterpiece from the Dutch “golden age” part of the enjoyment is the satisfaction one gets from being able to read a painting. No doubt the artists got enormous satisfaction from concocting an obtuse quiddity.

When a more contemporary Dutchman, Vincent Van Gogh painted a pair of shoes, they were not just a pair of shoes.
Did the crucifix painted on the wall behind them point to his life-long spiritual quest?
Is the worn collapsed shoe a self portrait?
Did it represent a connection with earthly toil?

Each person can only truly see the world from where they stand.
But if you know how to look, objects can have an essence and a soul and can enter into a dialogue with us.
For a brief moment they can put us in someone else's shoes.

Mark Twain said “"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."
The masters of the Dutch “golden age” lived in a time of extreme wealth and fear.
They feared: eternal damnation, plagues, religious genocide and the guilt associated with exploitation.
Little has changed.
They used their paintings to meditate on their failings and on the possibilities life holds.
Maybe it’s time for a little rhyme.