Gezicht op het San Marcoplein te Venetië tijdens de aankomst van de bronzen Paarden van San Marco in 1815 1816 - 1837

Frédéric Martens created this print, "View of St. Mark's Square in Venice during the arrival of the bronze horses of San Marco in 1815," using engraving. The image is dominated by the architectural structures that frame the open square, creating a visual push and pull between depth and flatness. Martens uses a sharp contrast between light and shadow. This effect brings forward the detailed facades of the buildings and the imposing columns, while it recedes the crowd into the greyscale. The composition divides the scene, and the verticality of the columns and buildings against the horizontal stretch of the square and sea challenges our sense of perspective. Note the columns, not simply as structural supports, but as semiotic markers that signify power and history. They disrupt the linear perspective, inviting a critical examination of how space and power are represented. It destabilizes traditional modes of representation, prompting viewers to question established perspectives and power structures. This engraving offers not just a view, but an inquiry into representation itself.