Gedicht op het zwaard waarmee Johan van Oldenbarnevelt in 1619 zou zijn onthoofd 1743 - 1745

This is a drawing by Arnold Hoogvliet, made without a specified date. It depicts a poem inscribed on paper, a somber reflection on the execution of Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. The composition is dominated by the contrast between the dark, dense script and the aged, off-white paper. The artist employs a deliberate structure, organizing the text into neat stanzas. This formal arrangement creates a visual parallel to the structured nature of language itself. The curved lines of the handwriting—their varying thickness and direction—add a layer of complexity, alluding to the emotional weight of the poem's subject matter. Hoogvliet uses the visual space to explore themes of justice, memory, and power, transforming the act of writing into a kind of memorial. The texture of the paper and ink becomes a medium through which historical and moral reflections are presented, inviting us to consider how form and content intersect in profound ways.