Deurklopper, adelaar, zeemonsters en een kan 1817

Pietro Ruga's print presents a series of fantastical and ornamental designs in ink on paper. The composition, arranged as a visual inventory, immediately suggests a world where classical motifs merge with imaginative creatures. Notice how Ruga uses line to define form, creating depth through delicate hatching and cross-hatching. The careful rendering of textures, from the fur of the lion doorknocker to the scales of the sea monsters, invites close inspection. Each motif, be it the eagle emblem or the ornate vase, displays a balance between symmetry and intricate detail, reflecting an interest in classical ideals of beauty. Yet, these are subverted by the inclusion of hybrid, mythical beings. Ruga’s work exists in a liminal space, destabilizing the boundary between the real and the imagined. It uses recognizable forms, but rearranges them to explore new possibilities. The linearity of the design, combined with its bizarre content, prompts us to consider how the structure of images shapes our understanding of the world and how the artist plays with visual language to question fixed categories.