Wreedheden in een stad begaan door turken 1681 - 1699

Editor: Here we have Arnold Houbraken's engraving, "Wreedheden in een stad begaan door turken," which translates to "Atrocities Committed by Turks in a City", dating sometime between 1681 and 1699. The chaotic composition, rendered in such detail despite being a print, evokes a powerful sense of turmoil. What compositional elements stand out to you? Curator: Formally, the arrangement pivots around two vertical elements: the turret on the left and the implied verticality of the gateway in the distance. Notice how Houbraken uses line and form to create visual contrast. The implied diagonal of the figures falling from the city walls is countered by the static authority of the seated figures on the right. The composition is, thus, self-contained. Editor: That’s a great point about the balance. It feels almost like a stage. Do the figures on the right, on their platform, act as audience and players at the same time? Curator: Observe how line and shape converge to construct form and content in the print. Note, in particular, the architectural backdrops on either side. One cannot but contrast it with the contorted forms of violence which erupt between them. Can this interplay of vertical and horizontal lines reflect themes of control and subjugation? How can the print be a critique of societal power structures and an argument for peace? Editor: So the piece is making use of visual forms in order to draw our eyes to how architecture mirrors acts of violence in early modern Europe. Thanks, I've never considered approaching the study of this type of narrative print from this viewpoint. Curator: Precisely. By focusing on the internal structure, the material qualities, and visual language of the engraving, we can move closer to a true appreciation of this work of art.