Sleutels, ketenen en bijl voor een galg 1856 - 1897

Henri-Charles Guérard created this etching, "Keys, Chains, and Ax for a Gallows," using black ink on paper. The composition is dominated by the crude, stark lines of the gallows, juxtaposed against the softer, more chaotic textures of the sky and distant landscape. This sharp contrast evokes a sense of dread. Guérard destabilizes conventional ideas of justice by presenting its tools – keys, chains, an axe – not as symbols of order, but as stark instruments of death. The semiotic system at play here is brutal: the keys, typically associated with freedom, lie discarded. The chains and axe, ready for use, suggest a world where power is maintained through violence rather than justice. The formal elements work together to create a powerful critique of authority, inviting us to question the established meanings of law and punishment. This etching serves as a lasting commentary on the darker aspects of societal control.