Gestorven krijger before 1759

Curator: The artwork before us is called "Gestorven Krijger", or "Dead Warrior," made before 1759 by Christian Bernhard Rode. It resides here in the Rijksmuseum and it seems to be rendered through engraving or perhaps etching, from pen and ink, or even pencil. The Baroque influence is rather clear. What is your immediate take on it? Editor: It’s immediately striking. The lines seem almost…scratched in desperation, the medium adding to the evident discomfort portrayed. There's a tension in the marks making up the piece that directly communicate the raw physicality, almost the exhaustion, of the warrior's last moments. The texture is brutal, somehow. Curator: The artist really captured a potent sentiment. Rode lived during a time where the narratives around heroism and the glorification of conflict were being seriously questioned. You see some of these ideas coming forward throughout 18th-century art. Consider how cultural shifts affect perceptions of war, leadership, and sacrifice, shaping how artists depicted such themes. Editor: And think about the material impact—the ink, the paper, the tools, perhaps reflecting constraints and access that affect artistic creation. Even this choice of creating a sketch rather than a full color scene—a drawing!—perhaps emphasizes the grimness in the aftermath. Curator: Indeed. While exploring such concepts, we should remember how depictions of the Fallen Warrior motif changed through different eras as a visual commentary on political power, moral responsibility, or the cost of war in a society which constantly reshaped its views of those in power. Editor: Exactly. Even down to how the lines must have been inscribed, the paper sourced… everything speaks to that social and material process. It’s compelling to think of the hand involved, the specific skills needed. Curator: Absolutely, seeing artwork through both the context of societal narratives, how things change and evolve in political discourse… And the artist's perspective deepens our view. Editor: Well, it’s helped me see more in this poignant sketch, really thinking through how the choices in materials affect my experience of the whole image. Curator: Same here! Reflecting on the evolving depictions and their political context has allowed me to rethink what narratives of heroism can represent.