Inname van Dendermonde, 1706 1712 - 1715

Curator: Look at this incredible spread! This is “Inname van Dendermonde, 1706" by Johann August Corvinus, created between 1712 and 1715. It depicts the capture of Dendermonde during the War of the Spanish Succession and it’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a marvel of baroque printmaking and drawing. Editor: It’s intensely ornate, almost overwhelmingly so at first glance. Like a theatre curtain pulled back on…well, on more ornateness, actually! The whole scene feels deliberately constructed to convey grandeur. Is this meant to be propaganda of some kind? Curator: Indeed, images such as these were absolutely instruments of power and historical narrative. Printmaking allowed for wide dissemination of these triumphant events. Corvinus worked at a time when rulers understood how vital it was to shape public perception through art. Notice the detailed border? Editor: Yeah, it’s bursting with allegorical figures and flourishes! It seems intent on squeezing in every possible symbol of victory. Makes the actual battle scene feel a bit secondary, doesn’t it? Are we meant to focus on the reality of conflict, or the concept of victory itself? Curator: The focus *is* the victory. The work elevates the event to legendary status. Consider where such prints might have been displayed and who might have viewed them. It served to reinforce the existing power structure and instill a sense of pride. Editor: So, less about history and more about mythmaking, you could say. It's wild to think how different this is from modern photojournalism, which attempts a gritty, “realistic” portrayal of conflict. Here, the goal seems to be total glorification! Makes you wonder what really happened in Dendermonde… Curator: And to what extent the common person's experiences in that historical period were shaped through controlled visual narratives. We’re seeing more than just an image, we're seeing an embodiment of the social and political intentions. Editor: Right, and recognizing that art can never be divorced from those intentions – is something to take away today. History through an intentional lens, baroque bravado and all!