Planetarium 1759

This is Nicolaas van Frankendaal's "Planetarium," an engraving on paper. The work is dominated by a series of diagrams, each meticulously rendered with fine lines and precise geometric forms. The composition, organized in a grid-like fashion, invites a structural reading of the cosmos, presenting celestial mechanics as a system of interlocking parts. Van Frankendaal's use of line and shape serves to dissect and categorize the mysteries of the universe. Circles, arcs, and straight lines intersect to chart planetary orbits and lunar phases. The sun, consistently labeled as 'S', anchors each diagram, acting as a signifier of centrality. The work reflects the 18th-century Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and empirical observation. Yet, it also hints at a deeper philosophical inquiry. By presenting the cosmos as a series of interlocking diagrams, Van Frankendaal invites us to question the limits of representation. The act of transforming the infinite into finite forms implies that knowledge is always mediated, always a construction.