Hattem voor de Staten behouden, 1580 c. 1581 - 1585

Frans Hogenberg’s engraving, "Hattem voor de Staten behouden, 1580," presents a scene teeming with linear precision and structured chaos. The composition is anchored by rigid architectural forms juxtaposed against the dynamic movement of armed figures. Hogenberg employs hatching and cross-hatching to define the forms of buildings, figures, and billowing smoke. The image is divided into clear zones: the city in the background, the advancing troops in the midground, and the textual description in the foreground. The semiotic weight of this historical moment is palpable. The phallic symbol of the cannon alludes to the violent disruption of social norms, while the rigid lines of buildings suggest the established order threatened by this conflict. The smoke, rendered with chaotic strokes, introduces an element of unpredictability, destabilizing the otherwise ordered scene. The formal arrangement challenges fixed narratives, inviting viewers to interpret the underlying tensions between order and chaos. The print's graphic language functions not merely aesthetically but as a powerful commentary on the disruption of established meanings during times of conflict.