Gezadeld paard aan een paal 1620 - 1654

Pieter Cornelisz. Verbeeck created this etching of a saddled horse tethered to a post. Notice how the composition directs our gaze to the rear of the horse, its substantial form dominating the frame. The artist uses a network of fine, deliberate lines to describe the texture and musculature of the animal, contrasted against a subtly rendered landscape. The etching's monochrome palette further emphasizes the stark, linear quality. Verbeeck masterfully employs line and form to evoke the tactile presence of the horse. Consider how the artist destabilizes traditional portraiture by focusing on the animal’s posterior, challenging viewers' expectations and prompting a re-evaluation of subject and perspective. This challenges fixed notions of the relationship between the artwork and its audience. Ultimately, this etching uses its formal qualities to disrupt established meanings, inviting ongoing re-interpretation of both the artwork and the cultural values it reflects.