Man verdedigt zichzelf met een zwaard tegenover een man met lantaarn en hond 1870 - 1913

Jos Ratinckx created this print, 'Man defending himself with a sword against a man with lantern and dog,' sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a tense encounter, one man cornered and brandishing a sword, the other advancing with a lantern and canine companion. The image speaks to anxieties about law and order at the time. Made in Belgium, where the art academy system was strong, Ratinckx was well placed to comment on the power dynamics of Belgian society. This was a period marked by industrial expansion and social stratification. Consider the symbolism: the sword versus the instruments of light and surveillance. Is it the state against the individual, or something else? Historians examine official archives, police records, and popular literature to understand the social context of artworks. Each piece becomes more meaningful when seen in the light of its own cultural and institutional moment.