Thetis stopt Achilles in het vuur c. 1700

J. Alexander Janssens created this print titled "Thetis stopt Achilles in het vuur" using engraving, capturing a moment of intense domesticity infused with mythic weight. The stark contrast between the dark, precise lines and the negative space creates a dramatic visual tension, focusing our attention on Thetis as she suspends Achilles over the fire. The composition divides the scene into distinct zones: the ornate domestic interior, Thetis and Achilles at the hearth, and veiled figures at the periphery. Each zone, meticulously rendered, plays with themes of visibility and concealment, reflecting the liminal space between mortal and immortal. The manipulation of the line work—dense and shadowed in the background, lighter and more fluid around the figures—draws our eye to the central struggle, where boundaries of protection and danger blur. Janssens uses the material properties of engraving to question not just the story, but the very act of seeing and interpreting myth through a domestic lens. The print challenges us to consider how cultural narratives are constantly reshaped by the materials and forms through which they're conveyed.