Wijn verstoort de zintuigen en veroorzaakt geheugenverlies 1551

Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert made this engraving, "Wine Distorts the Senses and Causes Loss of Memory," sometime in the 16th century. Notice how the artist arranges the figures in a dynamic, almost chaotic composition. The lines create a sense of movement and instability, perhaps mirroring the disorienting effects of wine. The figures, rendered with meticulous detail, intertwine in ways that blur the boundaries between them. This can be interpreted through a structuralist lens, as a disruption of clear categories and fixed meanings. Coornhert challenges the traditional, orderly representation of human form, suggesting a breakdown of rational control. The textures, achieved through fine lines and hatching, add to the sensory overload of the scene. Ultimately, this engraving uses its formal elements to question established values and cognitive structures. The artist presents a world where the senses are destabilized and the mind loses its grip on reality.