Tijd brengt de Waarheid aan het licht met behulp van Rechtvaardigheid 1580 - 1629

Editor: Here we have “Tijd brengt de Waarheid aan het licht met behulp van Rechtvaardigheid,” or “Time brings Truth to light with the help of Justice,” an engraving by Bartholomeus Willemsz. Dolendo, dating somewhere between 1580 and 1629. The scene feels incredibly dramatic, with all these figures tumbling and reaching. What’s your take on this allegorical scene? Curator: Well, this Baroque engraving is very much of its time. It embodies a specific cultural anxiety regarding power, morality, and the act of revelation. Time, a classic patriarchal figure, is actively unveiling Truth, typically feminized. Editor: So, how do you interpret Justice in all of this? She's the support. Curator: Exactly. Justice, in theory, should support the revelation of truth, but look closer: isn't Justice aiding and abetting this unveiling, positioning herself in service of Time, the supposed revealer of truth? Doesn't it feel like Truth becomes an object, handled by these powerful male figures? Editor: That power dynamic makes me uneasy. Almost like a… staging. Curator: Precisely! Who benefits from this performance of "truth"? Who controls the narrative? Consider also the monstrous figures lurking. These symbolize deception, vice. Are they being exposed, or simply dominated in this power play? The question then becomes, for whom is truth being revealed, and at what cost? It raises crucial questions about agency, about the manipulation of truth for ideological purposes. Editor: So, it’s not just about ‘truth prevailing,’ but who gets to define and control that truth? It makes me see it differently. Curator: I hope so, yes! Analyzing works like this reminds us that what we see as ‘obvious’ or ‘timeless’ often serves particular power structures.