Parabel van de twee blinden 1561

This engraving, titled "Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind," was created by Pieter van der Heyden around the mid-16th century and now resides in the Rijksmuseum. The dense network of lines, rendered in stark monochrome, immediately captures our attention, evoking a sense of impending chaos. The composition is structured around a diagonal descent, mirroring the literal fall of the figures depicted. Van der Heyden masterfully uses line and form to destabilize established meanings of leadership and guidance. The blind leading the blind is not merely a visual representation of a proverb; it becomes a profound statement on the human condition. Consider the formal arrangement: the figures are clustered together, their movements ungainly, almost comical. This aesthetic choice serves to amplify the underlying critique of societal structures. It challenges the fixed meanings we attach to concepts like authority and knowledge. The artwork suggests these are precarious, subject to the same pitfalls as those they are meant to guide.