Tekstblad bij boekillustratie 1723

This is a text sheet for a book illustration, created by Roeland van Leuve. In this piece, the artist compiles a list of various gates and bridges around a city. At the time that this was made, cities and their infrastructure were centers of commerce, trade, and cultural exchange. But it's also interesting to think about the ways these elements could have symbolized power, control, and exclusion. Who has access? Who is excluded? This textual illustration gives rise to questions of identity, power, and belonging. The artist seems to give us an inventory of these structures. In doing so, does he aim to celebrate the city's architecture? Or perhaps comment on the structures that dictate life and movement? What does this bring up for you?