Zaal met 35 schutters in verschillende monteringen, 1787 1787

This watercolor, made in 1787 by Christiaan van Waardt, depicts a room filled with 35 guards in various uniforms. Notice how the composition is structured around a central table, creating a stage-like space for the figures. The artist carefully employs color and line to differentiate the guards' uniforms, highlighting the variations in rank and affiliation. The symmetry of the room's architecture, with its neoclassical motifs and portrait medallions, creates a sense of order and decorum. But this order is challenged by the diversity of figures, each with a slightly different posture and expression. Van Waardt uses the semiotic system of military dress to explore themes of identity and collective representation. Consider how the artist uses line and color not just to depict, but to create a space that is both representational and symbolic. Art doesn’t offer a single, unchanging meaning but becomes a site where ideas are always being re-evaluated.