Zieke man bezocht door de dood 1777

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki created this small engraving, "Sick Man Visited by Death," sometime in the late 18th century. The scene is tightly framed, focusing our attention on the interplay between the figures and the stark contrast of light and shadow that models each form. Chodowiecki masterfully uses line to create depth and emotion. Notice how the diagonal lines of the Grim Reaper's scythe and the outstretched arms of the family members converge, drawing our eyes to the focal point: the sick man. This structured composition invites a reading of the scene as a tableau of human reaction to mortality. The detailed rendering of the figures' expressions underscores the engraving's emotional intensity. The use of a semiotic system of gestures—raised hands, bowed heads—conveys grief and desperation. The artist doesn’t offer a sentimental view of death but rather a study in the formal arrangement of figures within a domestic space, challenging fixed meanings about death and familial bonds through its structured aesthetic approach.