Comité van Gezondheid, 1795 1799

This print, titled 'Comité van Gezondheid, 1795' was created by an anonymous artist. The reddish-brown ink gives the scene a somewhat macabre feel. The clustered composition focuses our attention on a central figure: an obese woman wearing what appears to be a crown. The structural arrangement of the figures around her invites a semiotic reading. The figures are arranged in a semi-circle, creating a sense of enclosure or inspection. The corpulent woman, potentially representing a disease, is being examined by members of a health committee. The grotesque caricatures seem to express a critical or satirical view of public health. The use of line and form work to destabilize established ideas about health and authority. The artist employs caricature, and the composition places a grotesque figure at the center to challenge fixed meanings and cultural codes. Is this a critique of those in power who are meant to protect public health?