Waarheid is de dochter van tijd 1576 - 1628

Editor: So, this engraving, “Waarheid is de dochter van tijd” – or "Truth is the Daughter of Time” – made sometime between 1576 and 1628 by Jan Collaert, features these really dramatic figures. I’m struck by the contrast between the darkness below and the radiating light above. What historical contexts do you think shaped a work like this? Curator: This print reflects the Baroque period's fascination with allegory and its potent use for conveying complex moral and political ideas. How does the composition strike you in relation to contemporary power dynamics? Editor: Well, it feels very hierarchical. Truth, this radiant female figure, is being literally lifted into the light by Time, while Envy, or perhaps Falsehood, writhes in the shadows below. Is this visual hierarchy meant to affirm particular social structures? Curator: Precisely. Consider the historical context: the rise of printmaking made images accessible to a wider audience. Allegorical prints became tools for shaping public opinion. These kinds of images supported existing structures of power by visually enacting certain concepts like the triumph of truth and the defeat of vice. The very act of bringing something “to light,” what do you think that signifies here in a public sphere? Editor: Revealing it, making it visible... publicizing the truth? In the sense that Collaert’s engraving is an exercise of early public relations that shows how art bolstered the dominant social order. It’s interesting how these artworks played an active role in shaping cultural norms. Curator: Indeed. These aren't passive depictions; they're actively constructing a worldview and trying to enforce public moralism. I think these old engravings still offer rich lessons about visual language in politics today.