Studieblad met een soldaat aan het strand 1800 - 1841

Joannes Bemme’s etching presents us with a soldier on the beach, his back turned, rifle in hand. Emerging from the sea are two figures. The soldier, a symbol of authority and order, stands guard, embodying the power and protection of the state. The rifle, an instrument of both defense and aggression, speaks to the volatile nature of security, a constant tension between safeguarding and threatening. Consider how such figures have appeared across epochs, from Roman sentinels to modern-day peacekeepers. The act of guarding carries a primal weight, tapping into our collective memory of needing to protect territory and community. The figures in the water evoke a sense of vulnerability, emerging from the depths as if from the unconscious itself. Perhaps they represent the ever-present anxieties and uncertainties that authority seeks to control. Ultimately, the print encapsulates the cyclical nature of power dynamics. It resurfaces throughout history, each time molded by new contexts and imbued with fresh layers of meaning.