Bouw van een muur in de Tiber Possibly 1677 - 1696

This is Giovanni Battista Falda’s "Bouw van een muur in de Tiber," an engraving at the Rijksmuseum. Here, the composition immediately draws the eye to the center, where a structured enclosure juts out of the water, populated by tiny figures engaged in construction. The precision of line and detail give a sense of depth and activity that contrasts starkly with the flat plane of the surrounding water. This work operates on several layers. The linear perspective emphasizes the depth of the river, with the structure acting as a visual anchor. Falda uses the semiotic system of architectural drawing to give us not just an image, but a plan. The act of building itself becomes a spectacle and a form of communication about the ingenuity of engineering. Consider the interplay between nature and artifice. The flowing river, an emblem of natural force, is here confined and shaped by human will. This tension between form and fluidity, order and chaos, presents a discourse on humanity's attempt to control its environment. Falda's work invites us to consider the philosophical implications embedded within the structural elements of this construction.