Tekstblad bij het mislukte spel om Schenckenschans, 1635-1636 1635 - 1636

This broadside from 1635 to 1636, made by an anonymous artist, presents a dense field of text arranged in neat columns and rows, creating a visually ordered yet imposing block. The stark contrast between the dark ink and the light paper emphasizes the text's materiality, almost as if the words themselves are physical entities. This print uses the format of a dramatic script to satirize the failed siege of Schenckenschans. Through the formal structure of the text—its layout, font, and the way it occupies the space—the print mimics the order of a script, but it cleverly destabilizes this order through its satirical content, offering a commentary on power, failure, and representation. The sheer volume of text, unrelieved by images, implicates the viewer in a semiotic game. The rigid arrangement contrasts ironically with the fluid and uncertain nature of the events it describes. This contrast between form and content serves as a commentary on the human attempts to impose order on chaotic events through narrative. The use of language and its arrangement here function not just aesthetically but as a critical engagement with the cultural and political discourses of the time.