Vogelvluchtaanzicht op het Clarissenklooster, 1544 1729

This is an ink drawing, made in 1544 by an anonymous artist, showing a bird's-eye view of the Clarissenklooster. The stark linearity of the work immediately draws the eye. Notice how the composition, dominated by geometric forms, imposes a sense of order. The lines, sharp and unwavering, delineate the architecture of the Clarissenklooster with clinical precision. The perspective, while attempting a three-dimensional representation, flattens the space, emphasizing the surface and the two-dimensional nature of the drawing. This tension between representation and abstraction destabilizes conventional notions of perspective. This invites us to question the nature of representation itself. The drawing isn't merely depicting a building; it's presenting a structural analysis, a system of signs where each line, each shape, contributes to a larger understanding of form and function. Consider how this emphasis on structure, on the interplay of lines and shapes, prompts a reading of the artwork as less a depiction and more of a symbolic representation. It highlights the artist's engagement with a visual language that reduces reality to its most essential components.