Krijgsmuzijk 1856 - 1900

Editor: So, here we have "Krijgsmuzijk," or "War Music," a print – probably a woodcut – by Glenisson & Zonen, sometime between 1856 and 1900. It features rows of uniformed figures with various musical instruments. I find it both charming and a little…flat. What do you see in it? Curator: Flat, you say? Perhaps. Yet within that perceived flatness lies a rich tapestry of echoes. Doesn't the blocky nature of the woodcut almost mimic the rigid formations of the musicians themselves? I sense a dance between control and freedom; each figure meticulously rendered, yet the overall effect possessing a certain chaotic energy. It makes me think about folk art, where the narrative is more important than strict realism. Do you see that too? Editor: I hadn't considered that…folk art! The somewhat stiff figures now remind me of those old European paper soldiers. What is it saying though, with the music and the military garb? Is it simply celebratory? Curator: Celebratory, perhaps, or maybe subtly satirical? Consider the title: "War Music." Is it glorifying military spectacle, or hinting at the disconnect between the pomp of music and the grim reality of conflict? The lack of shading flattens the soldiers; they begin to look a bit like patterned decorations, doesn’t it suggest a certain emotional distance, a removal from the personal experience of war? I'm asking myself… What’s their drum really beating? Editor: Hmmm. That definitely gives me a different perspective. I see what you mean; it’s more complex than I first thought! Curator: Isn’t art always? That push-pull, the conversation between surface and depths...That's where the real music is played! Editor: Totally. Thanks – that makes me appreciate this piece so much more!