Vernietiging van het Egyptische leger in de Rode Zee 1645 - 1646

Editor: This is Christoffel van Sichem II's "Destruction of the Egyptian Army in the Red Sea" from around 1645. It's a print, an engraving, and immediately the detail is just astonishing. All those tiny lines capturing such a chaotic moment. What leaps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: It's utterly biblical, isn’t it? But I am not sure which visual element makes this artwork especially remarkable. The sheer pandemonium etched into this tiny space is breathtaking, really! Look at those frantic figures flailing about—and those wonderfully rendered horses! And is that supposed to be Moses up top there? Is he surfing atop of a carriage? Almost looks like a strange burlesque show by those ancient Egyptians themselves. Editor: I thought that might be Pharaoh! The one losing his crown along with the battle. Curator: Ah, Pharaoh…perhaps! Though the lines are a bit wonky for regal grandeur! Tell me, does the artist capture something deeper, something beyond the mere storybook illustration, or is it purely performative? Does it feel like a genuine expression of faith, of something far greater happening? Editor: It feels… illustrative to me. Like a very skilled rendering of a well-known tale, a dramatic spectacle frozen in time. Though, seeing the Red Sea rendered in lines also gives it this feeling of otherworldly-ness. Curator: I feel the same! Still, a story can only become immortal if it contains many personal retellings. Now that's the paradox of faith and the artist. Well, thanks for walking me through it. Editor: Thanks for showing me all those little things to appreciate!