Zicht op de Arc de Triomphe 1838

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the symmetry, the sense of measured grandeur, that neoclassical architecture always evokes. Editor: Indeed, and here we see Louis-Julien Jacottet’s "Zicht op de Arc de Triomphe," an engraving dating back to 1838, now housed at the Rijksmuseum. The perspective is so carefully constructed. What stands out for you beyond the architectural precision? Curator: The Arc itself. It is the obvious, central visual signifier, yes, but consider what it signifies. Arches throughout the Roman Empire functioned as cultural signs of power, especially in times of conquest and the creation of new infrastructure. Now look at the placement of human figures below. I see a deliberate effort to frame citizens in their relation to state power. Editor: Absolutely. It's crucial to remember this was created just a few decades after the Napoleonic Wars. The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon, embodies imperial ambition and military victories. This image serves not only as a representation of the monument, but also, of the values associated with its construction. It communicates that message to both Parisians and visitors, normalizing the ideals it promotes. Curator: Exactly. And consider how that’s perpetuated through the choice of medium itself: the precise lines of the engraving, reproducible and distributable, spreading this imagery, imprinting the monument and its meaning on the cultural consciousness. An old engraving style becomes the means through which the city engraves its ambitions. Editor: So true. It allows us to see the work as more than a mere image but as part of a broader network of representation, one actively participating in shaping social memory and civic identity in Paris and beyond. A true spectacle that echoes through the avenues and now, through us. Curator: It’s fascinating how something seemingly static as an engraved print can carry so much ideological weight and power of cultural memory. Editor: Yes, indeed. An artwork that speaks of ambition but now invites our present, contemporary analysis.