Gezicht op het fort Salatiga 1762 - 1783

A. de Nelly created this delicate drawing of Fort Salatiga, capturing its structured layout with a watchtower and tidy rows of buildings. The fort itself, with its stark, ordered design, stands as a potent symbol of control and authority, reminiscent of Roman military camps. This imagery stretches back to ancient Rome, where such structured spaces were emblems of power, projecting an idea of civilization imposed upon the unknown. Consider how the watchtower—a motif echoed across various cultures from medieval castles to modern prisons—embodies vigilance and the ever-present gaze of authority. It evokes a feeling of being watched, stirring subconscious feelings related to surveillance and control. The image triggers a sense of how human endeavors to establish order often involve a psychological play between security and constraint. The fort, therefore, does more than protect; it also embodies a narrative of dominance, a theme that perpetually resurfaces in different forms throughout history.