Twee reizigers en een gezadeld paard 1698

Georg Philipp Rugendas created this print, "Two Travelers and a Saddled Horse," sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century. Rugendas, who came from a family of artists, was working in a period when Europe's fascination with the ‘exotic’ was growing. Note how the travelers are rendered. Their clothing and stance speak to prevailing European attitudes toward those perceived as 'other.' The horse, burdened with packs, stands as a silent witness, its labor essential to the travelers' journey. We might think about how travel and trade during this era were often intertwined with exploitation and the imposition of cultural norms. What narratives are missing from this seemingly simple scene? Whose stories are not being told? Consider how Rugendas' work reflects the complex, often uneasy, interactions between different cultures during this time.