Krijgsman geflankeerd door een leeuw en panter 1750

Curator: What strikes me immediately about Simon Fokke's 1750 engraving, “Krijgsman geflankeerd door een leeuw en panter," at the Rijksmuseum, is its assertive display of power and almost theatrical construction. The crisp lines of the engraving give it an impressive sense of authority, even if we view it now with twenty-first-century eyes. Editor: It feels like a propaganda piece, wouldn't you agree? The warrior figure dominating the composition suggests more than just military strength; it’s projecting an image, a constructed ideal, situated very consciously within the sociopolitical context of the mid-eighteenth century, and arguably playing into imperialistic power structures. The lion and the wolf as the representation of military might can also be seen from a perspective of the subjugated or colonial subjects and lands that were also a signifier of such strength at the time. Curator: I'm interested in the technical skill at play here, particularly in the textures. The difference between the smooth metal of the armor, the fur of the animals, the feathery helmet, and even the rough-hewn texture implied in the crumbling castle in the background - it all speaks to Fokke's mastery of the engraving process, not to mention the complex division of labor within printmaking at the time. We mustn’t forget that creating this imagery depended on workshops with multiple skilled laborers working together, even for an artist like Fokke. Editor: Exactly, it is difficult to view images such as these isolated from a larger narrative that intersects histories of gender, race, and class, and therefore they raise important questions about who gets to create and disseminate images, whose stories get told, and whose are suppressed. Curator: Though it’s an image that valorizes a specific type of leadership, I still see technical artistry here in the layering and complexity of the image itself; something powerful in seeing the capabilities inherent in this mode of reproduction, especially as it relates to craft. Editor: Indeed. Reflecting on this image reminds us of the ongoing need to deconstruct dominant narratives and amplify marginalized voices. Curator: Absolutely. Analyzing both the artistic construction and its context yields a richer, more complex interpretation, enriching our understanding of both its history and implications.