Militairen 1827 - 1894

Editor: Here we have “Militairen,” which translates to "Military Men," made sometime between 1827 and 1894, so the artist is unknown. It’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. It appears to be watercolor, pencil, drawing and print on paper. The repeated figures lined up reminds me of a textile design, but the rigidity is a bit unsettling. How do you read the composition of this piece? Curator: Intriguing. Let us focus on the inherent structure. Observe the rigid organization – rows of figures presented almost as a visual inventory. Consider the use of line: thin, precise, defining the contours of uniforms, delineating form, and creating a sense of order. What effect do you think is achieved by the artist's employment of the linear and two-dimensional aspects of the page? Editor: I suppose it makes the piece feel flat, almost diagrammatic. It highlights the repetition rather than creating any sense of depth or personality for the figures. Curator: Precisely! The restricted color palette– primarily blues, reds, and yellows against the stark white–contributes to the flatness, denying any atmospheric perspective. Ask yourself, what happens if you change these relationships. For instance, If we manipulated these qualities, changed the composition, would we maintain the initial feeling that the artist evokes? Editor: If the figures were arranged less uniformly, it could give off a more romantic sense of individualized drama, as opposed to this present sense of order. Curator: Yes, and it moves away from what some scholars term a formal representation to the potential of subjectivism. Let’s consider the planes—do you see any relationship? Editor: Not exactly… although it almost reminds me of a flattened-out storyboard, it’s very interesting how the interplay of color and line constructs a very interesting artistic composition. Curator: Indeed. It is within the meticulous relationships of its visual elements that we find its meaning.