Openluchtbal in een park 1760

Etienne Fessard created this print, "Openluchtbal in een park," using etching techniques. The composition pulls us into a world where social spectacle and natural artifice blend seamlessly. The park's design is deliberately structured, with trees arranged in a grid. Fessard uses this constructed landscape to frame the figures within. Observe how the trees are meticulously decorated, their verticality contrasting with the horizontal expanse of the park. This juxtaposition creates a tension, mirroring the era's fascination with rational order imposed upon the natural world. The figures, though small, are meticulously placed. Their arrangement guides our eyes through the scene, engaging us with the structured space. Fessard uses line and form to suggest a world where social performance is as carefully arranged as the landscape itself. The print becomes a study of control, not just in nature but in society.