Cartouche met een man met een dennenstam 1630 - 1638

Pieter Jansz. created this ink drawing, "Cartouche met een man met een dennenstam," some time during his life between 1602 and 1672, during the Dutch Golden Age. The drawing depicts a man holding a pine branch standing next to an empty cartouche, an ornamental frame meant to highlight text or images. It's impossible to ignore the implications of a blank cartouche. What narratives or images are being excluded? Who has the power to decide what stories get told, and whose voices are silenced? In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic was undergoing a period of economic growth and cultural flourishing, but this prosperity was built on the exploitation of marginalized groups through colonialism and trade. Jansz.'s work encourages us to consider the complex relationship between aesthetics, power, and social justice. It leaves us to consider what stories we want to amplify and what narratives we must challenge.