Eerste steenlegging van het Vredepaleis 1907

This bronze medal, made by H. Makkink commemorates the laying of the foundation stone of the Peace Palace. It’s interesting to think about how making art is a process of layering, like building a structure or an idea. Look at the way the figures on the medal are rendered. The texture feels soft, almost dreamlike, with these hazy figures emerging from the background. It's like they're being pulled into existence from the bronze itself. See the figure with the wings? It's as if its emerging from the clouds. Maybe this is about how peace itself needs to be created over time? This piece reminds me of some of the work of Rodin, like his Burghers of Calais, where the surface is so alive with texture. Art, like peace, is an ongoing conversation, full of ambiguities and possibilities, rather than fixed meanings.