Twee objecten kunnen niet tegelijk van elkaar worden onderscheiden wanneer ze op verschillende afstanden gelegen zijn 1679

Sebastien Leclerc I created this print, titled 'Twee objecten kunnen niet tegelijk van elkaar worden onderscheiden wanneer ze op verschillende afstanden gelegen zijn' which translates to 'Two objects cannot be distinguished from each other simultaneously when they are at different distances' some time before his death in 1714. This drawing offers us a glimpse into the 17th-century understanding of optics and human vision. At this time, scientific and artistic investigations of sight began to highlight the subjective nature of perception. Leclerc’s work reflects a broader shift in how knowledge itself was being perceived. Consider this image not just as a scientific diagram, but as a cultural artifact, revealing the ways in which the early modern period grappled with the relationship between the observer and the observed. What does it mean when our sight, our supposed access to truth, is so easily deceived? This print invites us to reflect on the limitations of human perception, and perhaps, the limits of our own understanding.