Exercise with Lance, Held Vertically 1635

Editor: This etching, "Exercise with Lance, Held Vertically" by Jacques Callot shows three soldiers holding lances. The figures seem to be demonstrating a drill, and it makes me think about power structures. What's your interpretation of this work? Curator: I see this work as a commentary on the militarization of early modern society, and a statement on how individual bodies are subsumed within systems of power. Note how the figures are presented not as individuals, but as types. Callot witnessed firsthand the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War. What social and political anxieties do you think this print reflects? Editor: I see now how it reflects broader anxieties around conflict and control. Thanks, that was insightful. Curator: Indeed. By understanding its history, we can read this image as a powerful statement about the individual’s role in times of conflict.