Beleg van Maastricht, 1632 (tekstblad 1) 1632

This print, made by Claes Jansz. Visscher, depicts the siege of Maastricht in 1632 through dense text. Look closely at the intricate, if tiny, lettering; text itself becomes a powerful symbol, a vessel for collective memory. In earlier times, illuminated manuscripts elevated text to an art form. Here, the sheer density of the text conveys the weight and importance of the historical events, yet its inaccessibility also hints at the difficulty of truly knowing what happened. The text, almost overwhelming in its volume, evokes a sense of being lost in the details of history, much like how we can feel today. The emotional and psychological weight of these past events is embedded in the written word, engaging us on a subconscious level. We grapple with a past we can never fully grasp. The written word continues to evolve, shifting in meaning and usage across time. Yet, it resurfaces in various forms, carrying echoes of the past into our present.