Drukke straat wordt geveegd c. 1831

Jean-Baptiste Madou’s print, "Drukke straat wordt geveegd," captures a bustling street scene, dominated by the motif of labor and the everyday. Here, the act of sweeping transcends mere cleanliness; it becomes a symbolic cleansing, a purification of the urban space itself. Consider the recurring image of the street sweeper across cultures – from the ancient Roman "scoparii" to the figures in Hogarth’s London. The sweeper is not merely removing debris; he is, in essence, negotiating the boundary between order and chaos, public and private. This act of transformation is deeply psychological. The simple broom, wielded across time, takes on new layers of meaning. In some contexts, it becomes a symbol of humility, in others, of quiet authority. Madou's portrayal invites us to reflect on the cyclical nature of labor and its enduring presence in the human experience. The cleansing, the ordering, the repetitive act – it is a dance as old as civilization itself, endlessly resurfacing in our collective consciousness.