Soldaat laat kinderen met zijn geweer spelen bij de kroeg 1830

Curator: Here we have Nicolas Toussaint Charlet's engraving from 1830, “Soldaat laat kinderen met zijn geweer spelen bij de kroeg,” currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought? There’s a disconcerting nonchalance in this scene. The man with the elaborate hat, seems quite proud displaying his weapon to a few innocent kids who, it seems, do not perceive any potential dangers. The man in the back gives a dark contrast to the composition with what appears to be a concerning gaze towards the spectacle in the foreground. Curator: It's definitely a provocative scene. Charlet captures this strange moment with a deceptive ease. The precision in the inkwork brings an air of stark realism and I cannot avoid sensing some dark, even absurd humor embedded in such moment. What do you think? Editor: The casual interaction, especially the act of a soldier letting children play with his gun near a tavern, speaks volumes. Charlet might be pointing to the normalization of violence. The lack of adult supervision of these interactions makes the act a depiction of a more permissive environment for violence to fester into future generations. Curator: Right. I also cannot avoid thinking about a possible hint to post-war realities or a sardonic commentary on the glorification of military power—you know Charlet was himself a soldier, that might mean he is using his experience to criticize what surrounds such figure. Perhaps this drawing offers an unnerving look at the seduction of violence. The choice of rendering every character’s expression, even the more unnoticeable at first glance, might also emphasize this idea. Editor: Absolutely, this piece invites us to question not just the immediate scene, but the larger implications of unchecked power. We must keep the work within a wider sociopolitical environment and this is only achieved through awareness of a past history of normalizing violence. The “J’aime les enfants...moi!” tagline definitely gives off creepy undertones now. Curator: You're so right. So many questions left unanswered. Well, after all, the beauty of such ambiguous scenarios resides on that. Editor: Precisely. I appreciate the artist offering no resolution. Now I have lots of food for thought and that says a lot about the artwork!