Plate 11: an attack on a city, horsemen in foreground, clouds of smoke and a cityscape in background, from 'Troops, cannons, and attacks on towns' (Dessins de quelques conduites de troupes, canons, et ataques de villes) 1635 - 1645

Editor: So, this etching, "Plate 11: an attack on a city…" by Stefano della Bella, from around the 1630s or 40s...it's quite something, isn’t it? There's a real sense of drama, with that massive cloud of smoke dominating the scene, and the tiny figures almost swallowed up by it all. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It strikes me as a ballet of brutality, darling. The delicate lines of the etching contrast sharply with the violent scene. Della Bella captures not just the *event* of war, but the *feeling* of it. See how the smoke isn't just smoke? It's a presence, an overwhelming force. Makes you wonder about the stories hidden in those tiny houses in the cityscape, doesn’t it? All those lives changed, or ended, in a plume. Editor: It does! I hadn't really considered the human element. I was so focused on the smoke and the horses in the foreground. Curator: It's easy to get lost in the spectacle, isn't it? That’s Baroque for you! But look closer, the city almost seems to cower beneath the smoke, like a creature in fear. Does the precision in the line work change the story for you at all? Editor: That's true. The delicacy makes the devastation almost more haunting. Before this discussion I saw something completely different - but, after analyzing it, you pointed to something that might have gone unnoticed by the casual eye. The devastation and darkness that this particular artwork hides. Curator: Isn't it wonderful when art pulls that trick on us? A quiet whisper of destruction. Makes me consider all of the battles that have faded into memory.