Gezicht op Kasteel van Oijen 1786 - 1792

Carel Frederik Bendorp created this print of the Castle of Oijen in the Netherlands using etching, a process that allowed for detailed lines and shading. Bendorp was working during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period defined by major political and social upheaval. Here, the castle isn’t just stone and mortar; it's a symbol of power and the deep class divisions that marked the Dutch Republic. The people in the boats and along the riverbank—they exist in a different sphere, their lives likely governed by the whims of those within the castle walls. Consider what it meant to depict this scene, to place the castle so prominently against the backdrop of everyday life. Bendorp invites us to contemplate the relationship between those who hold power and those who don’t. Through his etching, Bendorp prompts a dialogue about the nature of power, class, and the ways in which our physical surroundings are laden with social meaning.