Rand van de Grote Hagen (onderdeel zijkant) 1675

Curator: This engraving, dating back to 1675, is titled *Rand van de Grote Hagen (onderdeel zijkant)*. The artist, Christiaan Hagen, captured what appears to be a serene scene. What catches your eye? Editor: It feels a bit staged, doesn't it? Like a theater backdrop. There's something charmingly artificial about the perfectly placed trees and the almost cartoonish depiction of people. I suppose "den burg" translates roughly as "the city," in which case, the wall is its literal and metaphorical edge? Curator: Absolutely! The edge, or 'rand' as in the title, of The Hague. Hagen meticulously presents this scene using the detailed lines of an engraving. This was a period enamored with perspective, and you can see how Hagen uses line and form to give a sense of depth. But there’s more than just topographic interest at play, right? Editor: It feels self-conscious. The inclusion of those elegant figures milling about gives the whole composition the feel of wanting to be viewed. Look how precisely delineated each figure is. I get the distinct feeling of walking on eggshells, almost. Curator: I wonder if that's because Hagen perhaps wants to immortalize a specific time and its social climate. See the presence of promenading figures amidst more bucolic elements? It’s trying to showcase an ordered society in relation to its environment. Editor: A visual proclamation, then! I mean, with the architecture looming above and the birds neatly positioned against a blank sky... It’s less an observed landscape, more a controlled panorama intended to broadcast the ideals of the time. What an explicit statement this scene is trying to tell. Curator: I think you hit the nail on the head! It reflects a certain self-awareness that became more prominent in Dutch Golden Age art, an acute sense of self, seen both individually and socially. Editor: Which I guess brings the city wall into the discussion – The wall as an announcement and claim. As borders do. So what's on the other side? Curator: Another interesting idea that makes the artwork even richer! So much seems both self-evident and hidden about the piece. Thanks for these interesting and useful comments.