Hier ziet gy in dees prent vertoond / Hoe de moetwil word gestraft (...) Possibly 1550 - 1780

This colour woodcut, "Hier ziet gy in dees prent vertoond / Hoe de moetwil word gestraft (...)" was created by Johannes Kannewet. The composition is divided into distinct foreground and background spaces, each populated with carefully delineated figures and structures. The foreground is dominated by a scene of swine being fed, while the background shows farm houses and fields. The horizon line is set relatively high, compressing the sky and focusing our attention on the human and animal activities below. Kannewet employs a limited yet effective colour palette, with the pigment used for the trees, house and some of the pigs. These colours serve not just to depict reality but also to structure the image, drawing the eye across the plane and creating visual rhymes between different elements. The strategic placement of these hues emphasizes the contrast between the natural and built environments. The artwork is a formal study in contrasts: between action and stasis, nature and artifice, and the mundane and the moral. It invites us to consider how these oppositions are not just represented visually but are also interwoven into the very fabric of social and ethical life.