Net en dierenval 1730 - 1731

Editor: This is "Net en dierenval," or "Net and Animal Trap," by Bernard Picart, made around 1730. It seems to be a very precise technical drawing. What stands out to you when you look at this work? Curator: What I see is a layered commentary on power structures, even violence, disguised as scientific observation. The grid above imposes a rational, almost colonial, ordering onto the natural world. What do you think about how space and nature are depicted? Editor: Well, the animals themselves are absent, replaced by this stark representation of their potential captivity. It feels very… clinical. Curator: Exactly. Consider the context. This was the Enlightenment, a period that lauded reason, yet also facilitated immense exploitation. These traps, rendered with such detail, become symbols of control, speaking to the ways in which humans sought to dominate nature and, by extension, each other. The absence of the animals underscores this objectification, doesn't it? How does this relate, perhaps, to the animalisation, subjugation and imprisonment of entire human populations throughout colonialism? Editor: So you're saying the print is not just about traps for animals. It is a representation of much more than just a tool. I had not thought about the human element within. Curator: Precisely. The precision suggests scientific objectivity, but the reality is an instrument of domination. Thinking about it further, what impact might something such as this have on future artists, viewers, or anyone even just considering traps or geometry? Editor: It's a disturbing thought, reframing what seemed like a simple diagram into a tool of control. It changes my perspective on the whole piece. Curator: Indeed. By deconstructing seemingly neutral images, we can uncover their underlying ideological work. There's always a politics embedded within aesthetics and technique.