Stadsgezicht met Austerlitzbrug en Seine in Parijs Possibly 1895 - 1898

Editor: Eugène Béjot’s etching, "Cityscape with Austerlitz Bridge and Seine in Paris," made sometime between 1895 and 1898. The Rijksmuseum houses this lovely piece! I'm immediately struck by the quiet mood—it feels so still, despite being a city scene. What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: It whispers, doesn't it? To me, this image captures that beautiful melancholic feeling, that particular grey light you only find on a Parisian afternoon. It's more than just a cityscape; it's a feeling. Béjot’s capturing the essence of fleeting time. What is so fascinating is his expert rendering and economy of line. Notice the plumes of smoke versus the stone embankment; what do you feel these choices impart? Editor: It's like he's contrasting the industrial age, that plume of smoke, with the steadfast, historical city – like the stone is a witness. But, isn’t Impressionism about capturing the immediate moment? This feels like more than just an observation of a single moment in time. Curator: Precisely! It's layered, like sediment in a riverbank. Impressionism often gets pegged as simply chasing light, but artists like Béjot were digging deeper, I think. He’s really commenting on change and permanence, weaving it together like the bridge’s reflection on the Seine. I wonder, looking at those few figures along the embankment, what were their days like, suspended as they are between the enduring stone and the fleeting, vaporous smoke? Editor: It's amazing how a simple etching can contain so much! It makes you realize that even seemingly simple snapshots of life can have deep, reflective layers. I will always see this piece in a new light. Curator: Yes, it asks us to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. What a delight it has been.