In 't Jaar 1590 c. 1789 - 1810

Editor: This drawing, "In 't Jaar 1590," is by an anonymous artist and dates from around 1789-1810. It's made with pen and ink on paper. The scene feels almost like a stage set, with a vaguely historical drama unfolding. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a direct engagement with nationhood, specifically referencing a past – 1590 – fraught with conflict. What power dynamics are at play when an artist chooses to represent a specific year? Whose narrative are they privileging, and why? Notice how the artist, though working much later, is already mythologizing this period. Editor: Mythologizing, how so? Curator: Think about what's absent. Are the class struggles within Dutch society represented? What about the perspectives of those marginalized by the dominant historical narrative? This isn't just a drawing of a historical event; it's an act of constructing a particular memory. Why recreate 1590 at the cusp of the 19th century? Is there an aspiration here of grandeur? Is the artist commenting on events surrounding them by echoing the past? What might the date tell us? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered the choice of the specific year as a political statement, more than merely historical one. I suppose this is a potent choice to establish a connection between past struggles and present ideals. Curator: Exactly. Consider how national identity is performed through such images and understand whose voices are amplified, and conversely, who is silenced, when these histories are visualized. What does it mean to remember selectively? Editor: So much to think about when looking at what seemed at first glance, just an unremarkable sketch! Curator: Indeed, it becomes remarkable when we realize what this landscape elides.