Gezicht op de berg Montserrat 1694 - 1737

Editor: This watercolour illustration, “Gezicht op de berg Montserrat,” created sometime between 1694 and 1737 by Pieter van den Berge and currently at the Rijksmuseum, feels both fantastical and geographically grounded. What can you tell me about this landscape, and how you interpret it? Curator: This print invites us to consider how landscapes are not just geographical locations, but are culturally and religiously constructed spaces. The inclusion of the Virgin Mary inset at the right signals the importance of Montserrat as a site of pilgrimage. Consider how the depiction of the mountain itself – almost unreal in its exaggerated form – serves to heighten its spiritual significance, aligning it with Baroque ideals of dramatic, emotive representation. Editor: That’s interesting, this exaggeration for symbolic purposes. So you are saying that its less about recording accurate geography than expressing an idea? Curator: Precisely. Think about the role of pilgrimage in 17th and 18th century society. Journeys to sacred sites were often acts of resistance and expressions of identity, especially for marginalized communities. How might this image have functioned to promote Montserrat as just such a site? Who do you think was its audience? Editor: Probably people with a devotion to Virgin Mary and Catholicism. I never thought about religious images in that context, about who was using these images and how. Curator: By understanding the intersections of faith, social movements, and artistic representation, we start to see the real power that images like these hold, beyond just aesthetic appeal. Editor: Thanks! It really gives me something to think about.