Rit van de cavalerie 1831 - 1904

Arnoud Schaepkens created this print, “Rit van de cavalerie,” using etching, a technique that allows for detailed line work. Schaepkens lived through a tumultuous period in European history marked by social and political upheaval. His military scenes offer insight into the era's fascination with martial power and national identity. At the time, cavalry units were symbols of authority and strength, often romanticized in art and literature as heroic figures, yet they were also instruments of power and control, embodying the complex relationship between identity, authority, and class in 19th-century European society. Note the stark lines of the riders’ uniforms. These details emphasize the structured hierarchy of military life, a world where roles and identities were rigidly defined by rank and duty, and how those structures might play out in moments of conflict or social change. In considering the artist’s visualization of the cavalry's power and the reality of a soldier's life, we are left to consider the intersection between personal and political identities.