Het gecoupeerde paard 1652 - 1702

This is an engraving made by an anonymous artist, titled ‘Het gecoupeerde paard.’ The composition is bisected by the horizon line, creating two distinct spatial registers. At ground level, we are confronted by a foregrounded horse, set against a distant landscape, and a second, partial horse to the left. The horse on the right is a study in contrasts; its sleek neck leads to a body marked by irregular blotches, disrupting any sense of a continuous surface. The tail has been docked. This disfigurement points to a manipulation of form. There's a subtle commentary on control, where the natural is reshaped to meet external demands. The image is less about the beauty of the animal and more about the power dynamics embedded in its portrayal. Consider the interplay between natural representation and constructed intervention and what this says about our relationship to the world around us.