Mannen en vrouwen op vlucht voor de dood 1612 - 1665

Editor: This print, "Mannen en vrouwen op vlucht voor de dood" – "Men and women fleeing from Death"– by Cornelis van Dalen I, dates sometime between 1612 and 1665. The chaos in the scene feels overwhelming. What do you see in this work? Curator: This engraving certainly depicts societal disruption and fear. Note how the artist employs "Alle Mans Vrees," a kind of ubiquitous dread, symbolized by the fleeing figures but also by what’s noticeably *absent* – composure, order, hope. See the small representations of Death scattering explosives? Consider the enduring symbolic power: plague, war, persecution. What cultural memory is being invoked here, do you think? Editor: I suppose it suggests a time when death could come randomly and frequently for anyone. There’s the image of Death attacking women and children along with armed soldiers...it is quite disturbing. Curator: Precisely. Consider the inscription – this text anchors our reading. “Alle Mans Vrees” indicates a shared, collective terror. Fear unites, though it also disintegrates social structure, shown in the figures' scattered movements. Look at the poses—anguish, prostration—emphasizing helplessness. Are you aware of similar representations of Death in, say, Northern Renaissance art? This is linked to older archetypes. Editor: Now that you mention it, it’s a bit like those danse macabre images. It's interesting to consider it as part of a tradition of representing death as a universal leveler. Curator: Indeed. Visual motifs like these create a shared cultural language through symbols, expressing fear across generations. This engraving speaks volumes about the psychology of crisis. Editor: I’ll certainly look into that parallel. Thinking about symbols really enriches our understanding.