Tekstblad bij de kaart van het beleg van Thionville, 1643 1644

This text sheet, created by François Collignon in 1643, uses ink on paper. The immediate visual impression is one of structured order, dominated by typography framed by decorative borders. The vertical composition, divided into distinct textual blocks, creates a sense of hierarchy and informational clarity. Collignon employs a structured layout resembling a codified system. The lists and descriptions are presented with an almost mathematical precision. This can be seen as reflecting the period's interest in rationalizing knowledge and the world, aligning with structuralist notions of underlying systems. The use of language to map out military and strategic information intersects with semiotics, where words function as signs carrying specific meanings within the cultural context of 17th-century warfare and power. The clean lines of text contrast with ornate borders, disrupting any fixed meaning by juxtaposing the rational with the decorative. The artwork challenges fixed meanings by presenting a seemingly objective account that is also stylized and framed. This reveals how knowledge and representation are always mediated.