Artillerietrein, 1832 1832 - 1833

Curator: We're looking at Nicolas Toussaint Charlet’s print, “Artillerietrein,” made between 1832 and 1833. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: There’s a solemn mood evoked by this monochromatic depiction of men, horses, and artillery in the landscape. It seems to suggest inevitability. Curator: The romanticism apparent here isn’t surprising, given the context of post-revolutionary Europe searching for a new visual language to express itself. The church steeple barely visible in the background whispers of the old order, doesn't it? The receding figures move almost purposefully into shadow. Editor: It’s interesting you mention that. Given the social unrest in the wake of the French Revolution, the image becomes unsettling if you read these figures as agents of state power, these men traveling onward into history enacting further potential violence, further systemic entrenchment of structures built upon conquest. Curator: Symbols shift. We have a cluster of men depicted en route to the outskirts of a French town; whether viewed positively or negatively depends on the psychological framework we bring to the piece. For Charlet, I believe, there was perhaps an intent to evoke a feeling of resolve. Editor: I can appreciate the image's focus on movement and perhaps that Romantic ideal of the grand sweep of history. Still, who are we to focus on within such sweeps? What kind of communities are at stake as the image depicts this artillery advancing? Curator: Context indeed makes a world of difference in our reception of a visual artifact like this engraving. Editor: Precisely. Even Charlet's personal motivations or potential politics cannot take precedence over historical inquiry regarding the consequences for ordinary civilians affected by military operations depicted here. Curator: A powerful consideration to keep at the forefront when encountering images with an underlying military motif!