Veldslagen, waar dat Mars zyn felle woed' kwam koelen, / En menig grooten held, den schicht ter dood deed' voelen [(...)] 1800 - 1833

Curator: J. Proost's print, "Veldslagen, waar dat Mars zyn felle woed' kwam koelen," likely created between 1800 and 1833, is quite a complex narrative presented in a grid of vignettes. The scenes range from battles to more intimate moments of sorrow. Editor: My immediate impression is that there is a deliberate romanticizing of violence here, a way of depicting conflict and sacrifice for political gain in a digestible format. Curator: Exactly, the series of scenes are organized to create a specific heroic image, especially given the emphasis on warfare throughout and then followed up with quiet familial images near the conclusion. Notice how the artist relies on distinct iconographic formulas in his imagery, such as poses derived from classical antiquity or gestures representing mourning, reinforcing their symbolic associations. Editor: Absolutely. The figures, particularly the military leaders, are carefully arranged, a way of sanitizing history, even glorifying power and obedience to power. How do we read these images today in relation to colonialism and violent imperial expansion in other parts of the world? How does art support and advance cultural myths? Curator: The use of printmaking, etching and engraving, allows for widespread dissemination of such an aesthetic position; the impact multiplies beyond the singular object. What associations or resonances do these battle scenes trigger even unconsciously across decades or centuries? Are certain patterns in visual representations repeating themselves? Editor: That replication is precisely the problem, the romanticisation becomes normalised. As well, the intimate family scenes following the bloodshed have an impact; we could interpret it as Proost perhaps showing a need to establish continuity in times of conflict—establishing patriarchal stability, almost as a reaction to violent disruption. Curator: A necessary counterbalance to the devastation of war. Editor: For me, it reminds us of the ways violence becomes naturalized as necessary through repeated visual languages. Curator: Seeing the original print in full does allow us to more precisely discern historical beliefs as they were disseminated.