Rubens auf Reisen

The Cultural Construction of Safety and Security

“…Thus any kind of criminal behaviour that fights against heresy (what each individual considers to be heresy) would become good, even murder: 'Thus the same murder taken individually, which would be essentially criminal, if it were not done for the advantage of religion, ceases to be a crime as soon as it is committed for the ruin of a sect'. 40 Justifying coercion to achieve conversions not only blurs the boundaries of what can be considered criminal. It also runs counter to any kind of moral or social norm, as for example with regard to the duties that family members have towards each other.…”

“…He argues that it is actually not singular occurrences of injustice that facilitate the collapse of society, but rather an injustice to all citizens. 40 Since the public safety that laws provide is aimed at an equilibrium that curtails everyone's freedom just enough to facilitate the maximum amount of freedom for all, singular injustices are taken to be mere exceptions, while universal injustice is cause for dissolution.…”

“…39 After all, the port city not only hosted potential breeding grounds for criminality through industrial activities, but also through modern culture that was considered a particular moral threat to urban youth at the time. 40 Children also prominently feature in one of Rotterdam's most significant 'city symphonies', De steeg ('The Alley') (1932) directed by Jan Koelinga, who is believed to have been the photographer that contributed to the previously discussed Voorwaarts publication. 41 Although located in another slum of the port city, this short, poetic film could just as well have been shot around the corner of the Schiedamsedijk.…”

“…Quite often, these drug runners were addicted themselves. 40 During the seven years Platform Zero existed, a Moroccan drug trade developed, which was focused on users from the north of France. 41 Drug runners had easier access to the drug trade because they spoke French and most customers were French, and because these drug runners knew how to avoid expulsion from the Netherlands.…”

“…39 The Englishman Edward Norgate also knew of Rubens' sojourns in the countryside and in 1650 interpreted the landscapes he painted there as an expression of cultivated leisure. 40 These images were in fact only created, Norgate wrote, when 'he quitted all his other practice in Picture and Story, whereby he got a vast estate, to study this'. 41 It is indeed the case that Rubens executed numerous landscapes during the 1630s, some of which are listed in the specification of the artist's estate as having been painted from nature.…”