Belgische revolutie 1825 - 1838

Alexander Cranendoncq created "Belgische revolutie" sometime around the Belgian Revolution. It's an engraving that captures a pivotal moment of national upheaval. The print, divided into four scenes, attempts to narrate the revolution, but it also tells us about the artist’s position within it. Cranendoncq, working in Amsterdam, depicts the events from a distance, filtered through the lens of Dutch perspectives. The scenes, with their somewhat romanticized heroism, suggest a longing for freedom and self-determination. It echoes the broader 19th-century yearning for national identity amidst the decline of empires and the rise of nation-states. Note how the imagery focuses on the actions of men, reflecting the gendered nature of revolutionary narratives at the time. Yet, the emotional intensity in the scenes—the raised flags, the fallen soldiers—speaks to the universal human desire for liberation. This work, beyond its historical context, invites us to consider how revolutions are visualized, and whose stories get told in the making of national myths.