Gezicht op Palermo met de Molo Nuovo 1595 - 1601

Joris Hoefnagel captured this panoramic view of Palermo with pen and brown ink, offering us a glimpse into the 16th-century Sicilian port city. Hoefnagel, a Flemish artist active during a time of considerable global exchange, presents Palermo as a hub of maritime activity and commerce. But beyond the ships and architecture, consider the city's identity as a crossroads of cultures, shaped by centuries of diverse rule. The view doesn’t explicitly foreground class, gender, or race, but it implies a system deeply stratified by these forces, visible in the city’s architecture and commerce. It is important to remember that cities like Palermo depended on trade, often linked to exploitation and colonization elsewhere. How does this panoramic view make you feel? What stories of cultural exchange and power dynamics might be hidden beneath the surface of this seemingly objective depiction?