Krijgsoefeningen der Batavieren 1783 - 1785

Editor: Here we have "Military Exercises of the Batavians" by Engelbertus Matthias Engelberts, dating from around 1783-1785. It’s a pen and ink drawing, quite detailed. I’m struck by how much activity is crammed into the scene – there’s almost too much going on, and my eye doesn’t know where to rest! What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: You know, it’s funny, my first thought went straight to fantasy role-playing games. All the costumes and weaponry… Makes you wonder if Engelberts was a gamer! Beyond the initial spectacle, I see an artist wrestling with a heroic ideal – the Batavians, of course, were considered noble ancestors by some in the Netherlands – versus, well, the messiness of actually preparing for war. Editor: Messiness is definitely a good word! You’ve got the formal soldiers, but also a rather comical drowning incident happening in the background there. Why depict this "messiness" in a supposedly heroic image? Curator: Perhaps Engelberts is slyly critiquing the very idea of a glorious past. He could be suggesting that even in the "good old days", life was still clumsy, ridiculous, and more than a bit damp. It's as if he's saying, "Yes, heroism, but with a knowing wink!" What do *you* think he’s poking fun at? Editor: That’s a cool way to look at it. Maybe it is a parody – or at least a demystification – of the heroic narrative. And there's a modern feel in portraying something "real." It makes you question all the grand, serious historical paintings from the time! Curator: Precisely! And questioning, dear editor, is always a worthwhile exercise when faced with any work of art… including our own assumptions about it.