Oproer om de sleutels, 1672 1779 - 1781

Simon Fokke created "Oproer om de sleutels, 1672" using pen in brown ink, likely sometime after the depicted events. The eye is immediately drawn to the linear details that define the forms and the composition. The drawing captures a dynamic moment, a riot perhaps, with figures arranged in a receding perspective down a street. The use of line creates texture and depth, guiding us through the scene. We see a building on the left, its architectural details rendered with precision. The riot unfolds towards the background, the figures becoming less distinct, more of a mass than individual forms. The scene is carefully constructed through lines. Look closely and you will see how the composition is grounded on horizontals from the building's ledges to the street edges. It serves to give the drawing a sense of depth. It also provides a structure for Fokke to narrate a historic moment. Fokke's drawing invites us to reflect on how historical events are visually constructed and remembered.