Standbeeld van Dirk Martens op de Grote Markt in Aalst before 1911

Curator: Oh, I’m instantly drawn in. There's such a stillness about this—a somber, reverent air almost… like history holding its breath. Editor: This image documents "Standbeeld van Dirk Martens op de Grote Markt in Aalst," that's the statue of Dirk Martens in the Grand Market of Aalst. This print captures the bronze sculpture sometime before 1911. It was created by Jean Malvaux. You really get a feel for civic pride, right? Curator: Civic pride for sure, but it’s the scale that gets me. This isn't just some figure plonked down in a square; the statue is dominating the space. There's something intimidating about it too. He seems almost... judge-like? Editor: Well, Dirk Martens was a printer and humanist in the 15th and 16th centuries. He brought early printing to Belgium, so, yes, a cultural heavyweight of his time. Monuments like these were very much about constructing narratives of national and regional identity. Who gets remembered and how tells you a lot about the values of a society at a particular moment. Curator: Ah, so it's not *just* about celebrating Martens, but about celebrating, say, Aalst's intellectual history through him. But look at those shadowy figures at the statue's base. Are they in awe or just passing through? It makes you question the real-world impact of monuments like this, even then. Does anyone really pay attention after the initial fanfare? Editor: That’s the tension, isn’t it? This statue probably felt very relevant when it was first erected. But time shifts, and symbols can get emptied out or repurposed. We need to ask what the ongoing relationship with a figure like Martens *should* be. He promoted learning and exchange of ideas, what does that mean now? Especially in Aalst. Curator: What does that mean now indeed! Makes me wonder what someone wandering through the Grote Markt today thinks when they look at good old Dirk… or maybe they're just wondering where to grab a frites. Editor: Precisely! Statues invite those questions, I think. They force us to engage with the past as a living, breathing presence in the present. They reflect the evolution of societal values. Curator: And in this image's case, even a statue dedicated to the printed word gets framed by another form of reproduction – a print itself! It’s layers upon layers of memorialization. I guess, ultimately, history isn’t static—it’s something we’re constantly rewriting, isn’t it? Editor: Absolutely, this pre-1911 image invites us to consider what narratives about ourselves we might build or dismantle today, both visually and socially.