Parallelle lijnen trekken door een gegeven punt met onderaan schermende mannen 1669

Curator: Right now we're looking at "Parallelle lijnen trekken door een gegeven punt met onderaan schermende mannen," a 1669 engraving by Sébastien Leclerc I. It's held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The upper part feels so rational, almost clinical with its geometric lines and labels. Then the bottom explodes with…is that a duel? A skirmish? It's unsettlingly juxtaposed. Curator: It’s an image that reveals Leclerc's keen interest in both science and human drama. Those geometric lines? They weren’t just decorative. Engravings like these appeared in instructional books for mathematical applications and even military strategy, a manual of sorts. Editor: Military strategy! That's where my mind went—the strategic dance of combat reflected in those calculated lines. So, these dueling figures are an application of these principles? Curator: In a way, yes. This print underscores a belief that the principles governing the natural world could—and perhaps should—inform human endeavor, from artistry to warfare. Editor: It’s the embodiment of "as above, so below" then. Except here, "above" is cold, mathematical perfection, and "below" is messy, unpredictable violence. Do you feel the way the figures in the scene have a classic narrative construction? Curator: I agree entirely. The human drama adds a layer of historical genre that echoes popular paintings of the era. It's a microcosm of societal dynamics, but within the constraints of mathematical law. Editor: Looking at the way the men are positioned on the landscape – I see the push and pull between logic and chance. One cannot live without the other. Curator: And perhaps, by attempting to codify life through geometry, Leclerc hoped to tame the chaos, to reveal an underlying order, even in the midst of human conflict. It's ambitious, to say the least. Editor: A beautiful visual argument. And perhaps still relevant today as we continue trying to rationalize all of our messy behavior!