Wilhelm Edelwald wordt aangehouden omdat hij geen paspoort kan overhandigen 1780

Curator: This intricate engraving, made in 1780, is by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. The title rather gives it all away, doesn't it? "Wilhelm Edelwald wordt aangehouden omdat hij geen paspoort kan overhandigen"—"Wilhelm Edelwald is arrested for failing to produce a passport." Editor: The title is wonderfully direct, but the artwork feels far from it. I sense a real stillness and uncertainty amidst what should be a scene of disruption. It almost has the feel of a stage play, doesn’t it? Curator: Yes, that's it exactly. The figures, rendered in precise detail using etching techniques, do strike theatrical poses, don't they? You notice the rather theatrical lighting too; It is narrative art, really, presented as a genre painting. I can’t help thinking of all of that Baroque drama. Editor: Absolutely! Considering this work’s placement firmly within the Neoclassical movement, the use of stark contrasts in light and shadow can feel a little jarring. I see the politics of identity too. The absence of a passport then as now... a kind of violent erasure. Curator: And yet, it all looks so terribly polite! The gentleman being arrested doesn't appear too put out and all involved act within defined parameters. Did he have no documents at all or documents that officers found troubling? Was he of the wrong religion? Editor: It compels you to question who has the power to determine identity and belonging, especially at a time when notions of nationhood were solidifying and becoming weaponized. These borders and papers, these arbitrary lines. Curator: And don't we know it. Despite its delicate lines, this piece does contain potent social commentary about power, belonging and the individual versus the state. Its neat execution can make it feel quite disturbing, I think. Editor: Disturbing precisely, because it so neatly, quietly, visualizes how easily those with power can deny the identity, freedom, and agency of someone else.