Onderste helft van 'Belastingzuigpomp' 1894

Karel Petrus Cornelis de Bazel made this woodcut print, "Onderste helft van 'Belastingzuigpomp'", which translates to "Lower half of 'Tax Suction Pump'" in English. This image offers a stark commentary on power and oppression, likely conceived within the social and political ferment of the early 20th century. De Bazel uses the visual language of his time to critique the institutions of government. The kneeling figures evoke a sense of burden and exploitation, highlighting the relationship between those who govern and those who are governed. The image of the pump suggests that the state is extracting resources from its people, leaving them drained and impoverished. As historians, we can use sources such as political pamphlets, economic data, and social commentary to understand the world in which De Bazel was working and how the artwork reflects the anxieties of that time. It serves as a reminder that art is not created in a vacuum but is deeply intertwined with the social and institutional forces that shape our world.