Gezicht op de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam 1760 - 1783

Hermanus Petrus Schouten created this print of the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. The artwork is dominated by a stark contrast between light and shadow, a formal device that lends drama to the architectural subject. Schouten masterfully uses the technique of hatching and cross-hatching to define the geometric forms of the church and adjacent buildings. Notice how the linear precision captures the rigidity of the architecture. This contrasts against the dynamism of the cloudscape, underscoring the intersection of the man-made and the natural world. Consider the semiotic implications of Schouten’s chosen viewpoint, which positions the viewer at a calculated distance, allowing for a comprehensive yet detached observation of the Nieuwe Kerk. It functions as a cultural signifier representing the city's order and its citizens' place within it. The formal elements thus convey a sense of the city's self-representation during this era.