Militaire oefening met kanonnnen te Fontainebleau 1896

This photograph by Delizy captures a military exercise with cannons in Fontainebleau. The image is dominated by the cannons, instruments of force and power, and smoke, a symbol of destruction but also of transformation. Consider the recurring motif of weaponry throughout history, how the image of the cannon is an evolution of ancient symbols like the spear or the sword, each representing humanity’s capacity for violence and defense. But it's more than just weaponry, these tools tap into a primal aspect of human psychology, representing dominance, and the will to power. Think of the smoke—a visual effect, fleeting yet potent—it obscures and reveals, much like the subconscious mind. In Renaissance paintings, smoke or mist can signify divine presence or otherworldly events. Here, it masks the true nature of war, sanitizing the violence into an abstract exercise. The symbolism here engages viewers on a subconscious level, stirring primal emotions tied to conflict. These symbols have a life of their own, evolving and resurfacing across different eras, each time carrying a cumulative weight of cultural and emotional associations.