Treffen tussen Fielding en Van Bylandt, 1779 1779 - 1784

This is Simon Fokke's 1779 engraving, depicting the naval battle between Fielding and Van Bylandt. The dominant symbols here are the ships engulfed in smoke, locked in combat. Observe how these motifs of naval conflict echo through time, recalling ancient Greek and Roman naval battles memorialized in frescoes and mosaics. These symbols of maritime struggle speak to a deeper, more primal human drive: the contest for dominance and control. In our collective memory, the ship becomes a potent symbol of ambition, exploration, and aggression. Consider the smoke billowing from the cannons. It is reminiscent of the chaos and uncertainty of war, obscuring clarity, evoking a sense of the sublime. The visual tension and expressive release in this scene engage us on a subconscious level, tapping into shared, primal anxieties and desires for power and resolution. The scene's composition and symbols evoke a continuous cycle, appearing, disappearing, and reappearing, each time carrying a new layer of meaning.