Inscheping van de ark van Noach Possibly 1585 - 1702

This is Jan van Londerseel’s engraving, "Inscheping van de ark van Noach". Executed around the turn of the 17th century, it presents a world teeming with ordered chaos. The composition is structured around a procession of figures and animals moving towards the ark. The eye is led from the intricate foreground figures to the meticulously rendered ark in the background, a structured vessel amidst the organic disorder. There's a clear demarcation between the human and animal figures which are portrayed with remarkable detail and texture. This contrast evokes a world on the brink, highlighting themes of salvation and order amidst potential chaos. The visual elements work semiotically, presenting a world in need of cleansing, an implicit critique perhaps of societal excess. Londerseel uses the biblical narrative to explore contemporary themes of order, control, and humanity's relationship with the natural world. The highly structured composition thus challenges the very chaos it depicts, suggesting the imposition of divine order on the world.