Thou shalt not steal

Curator: Okay, so here we have “Thou Shalt Not Steal,” an engraving from around 1564-1567, created by Harmen Jansz. Muller. It's currently part of the Statens Museum for Kunst's collection. What strikes you first? Editor: Chaos! An organised chaos, admittedly, but so much crammed into one little frame. Is that a city burning in the background? It's like a fever dream. Curator: That 'fever dream' aspect fits. The print illustrates the consequences of stealing, rooting back to biblical context and broader ideas about societal collapse. Note the specific arrangement with people actively stealing loot in the tented area juxtaposed against the destructive forces engulfing the city. Editor: It’s definitely melodramatic! Is it a comment on social disorder, presented in that overly detailed style common for its time? And who is the tent figure supposed to represent? Curator: Absolutely, the highly stylised forms place it firmly within Mannerism; that theatrical flair heightened the emotional impact for viewers. The tent episode, seemingly focused on pillaging soldiers, underlines the cause of destruction happening at the rear – theft at a smaller, personal level eventually scaling to societal levels of theft and destruction, or maybe not! Editor: Perhaps what hits me strongest is the very idea of visualising a commandment. Turning such a precise statement into this riotous narrative! I suppose it also gives such actions historical and cultural consequences. The piece is incredibly unsettling in that sense. Curator: It’s intended to be! To remind individuals of social order as the law connects back to some kind of universal moral guidance, don’t steal, or be doomed! But thinking about today's perspective... Editor: Yeah, with wealth disparity so wide and institutions perhaps "stealing" opportunities... who gets to decide who is stealing from whom and at what point? Food for thought. Curator: Precisely. “Thou Shalt Not Steal” might actually spark some heated discussions today. Art from the past echoing the struggles and moral considerations of today; how cool is that?