Intocht van aartshertog Albrecht te Brussel, 1596 1596 - 1598

Curator: This is Frans Hogenberg’s print, "Intocht van aartshertog Albrecht te Brussel, 1596," dating from between 1596 and 1598. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The detailed cityscape and procession create such a compelling sense of spectacle. How do you interpret the purpose of such a piece? Editor: It's a fascinatingly detailed engraving. It really captures this massive celebratory entrance of Archduke Albrecht into Brussels. The sheer scale and precise detail almost feel propagandistic to me. It also resembles modern day war coverage that are embedded, where we are also invited to experience history and also the artist's role in making a public memory of that. It must have been quite a sight to witness! But who exactly was Hogenberg creating this image for, and how would they have encountered it? Curator: That's a great question. Consider the context: this print wasn’t meant for a gallery wall as we know it, but likely for a book or circulated as a broadside. Hogenberg created these images during a tumultuous period of religious and political conflict, where printed images became powerful tools of communication and persuasion. Who controlled access to these images and how were they distributed and interpreted? Were they for an elite audience, or intended for broader public consumption? What stories do such pieces tell about the nature of power? Editor: So, the very act of creating and distributing these prints was a political act in itself? A way to shape public perception? I am intrigued with this notion that the artwork isn't just *of* history but also *part* of its unfolding. I never really looked at landscape like that. Curator: Precisely! It makes us question the neutrality of any historical representation. And I believe landscape isn't merely background in this artwork, but active agent! Editor: That is a perspective I will certainly take with me going forward. Thank you! Curator: Likewise; thinking about images this way brings our understanding of history alive!