Spotprent op herziening van de kiestabel, 1885 1885

This print, made by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans in 1885, uses ink on paper to create a satirical scene. A man carries a shelf filled with figures, framed within a doorway. This immediately evokes the formal structure of theater and performance. The composition is stark, relying on the contrast between the detailed rendering of the figures and the linear precision of the shelf. The figures themselves, differentiated by their hats, become signs within the semiotic system of the print, alluding to social classes. The doorway, framing the carrier, suggests both limitation and passage, perhaps reflecting the restricted nature of the voting table. The linear quality of the artwork, its use of line and form, serves to underscore the structural rigidity of the social system being critiqued. The work challenges fixed meanings, prompting an examination of the power structures inherent in the voting table. The print serves not just as social critique but as a philosophical engagement with the nature of representation and power.