Rustende manschappen tijdens militaire oefening met kanonnnen te Fontainebleau 1896

Curator: This gelatin-silver print from 1896, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, offers us a glimpse into military life. Titled "Resting Troops During Military Exercise with Cannons at Fontainebleau," the photographic artist Delizy captures a moment of repose amidst preparation. Editor: It's...striking. You see this long row of cannons, menacing even at rest, and then the soldiers sprawled out like they're at a picnic. The sepia tones lend it such a somber mood, like it knows something we don't. Curator: Exactly! Delizy uses the seemingly mundane setting of a military exercise to engage in deeper questions regarding power, class and militarization. Here, soldiers taking leisure, challenge our assumptions. Are they actually relaxing? Or just recuperating for further battles? The fact that cannons are neatly aligned speaks about rigorous training as a form of power at service for colonialism. Editor: That tension is amazing! The careful arrangement versus the languid figures... Are they comrades or competitors? The lack of visible emotion almost hints that war is just another job. Curator: Precisely. Considering intersectionality, it speaks volumes to look at how race and socioeconomic factors have informed labor at times of colonialism and imperialism. Their postures, seemingly comfortable, might signal fatigue derived from a deeper reality shaped by the burdens of militarization in a specific geopolitical context. Editor: You’re right. It hits you in the gut: war is a human-made atrocity and we all should be compelled to protest. I mean, the artist even decided to picture it with this brown monochrome: all the green trees vanished and the atmosphere seems loaded with dust and smog. Curator: That muted color scheme reinforces a perspective from its era: wars might imply advancement in a civilization and social order but in fact there is an undeniable loss of nature. Editor: It’s funny –at first I only saw a historical scene, like one more page in the book of battles. But now…I am overwhelmed with reflection. Curator: Art possesses this transformative ability and it reminds us how much historical artifacts can shape not only understanding about our past, but contribute to create a critical conscience.