En ziet dees papegay / Eens staan in deze kring [(...)] 1725 - 1780

This undated print by Johannes Kannewet, presents us with an owl encased in a circle, a composition immediately striking in its structured simplicity. The owl, rendered in detailed lines, is perched on a branch, framed by a circular border which creates a sense of enclosure. Consider the use of line here: dense hatching defines the owl's feathers, contrasting with the smoother lines of the surrounding frame. The composition, with its centralised figure, symmetrical floral border, and encircling lines, evokes a sense of harmony but also restriction. The choice of an owl is no accident; in the semiotic system of the time, it symbolizes wisdom and watchfulness, but also darkness and solitude. Kannewet’s owl, enclosed and observed, hints at the complexities of knowledge and the burdens of insight. The print exists as an invitation to reflect on how we perceive and categorise the world, where beauty and restraint, knowledge and isolation, intertwine.