Gezicht op kasteel Cleydael te Aartselaar before 1889

This print of Cleydael Castle near Aartselaar, rendered by an anonymous artist, presents us with an intriguing study in architectural form and spatial perception. Executed in monochrome, the print is dominated by the strong vertical thrust of the castle’s towers and walls, immediately drawing our gaze upward. The artist employs a formal, almost diagrammatic approach, emphasizing the geometric interplay between rectangular structures and conical turrets. This meticulous rendering of architectural elements allows us to consider the castle not just as a historical building, but as a complex arrangement of lines, planes and volumes. The use of reflected symmetry is particularly striking. By mirroring the castle, the artist invites a semiotic reading of doubling and representation, prompting us to question the nature of reality versus image. The architectural elements of the print, such as the placement of windows and the delineation of the walls, become signs within a system of visual communication. This print destabilizes our understanding of the castle, transforming it into an exploration of form and representation.