Gezicht op een wetering richting de Stadlanderbrug en Amsterdam 1730

Editor: Here we have Abraham Rademaker's "View of a Canal towards Stadlander Bridge and Amsterdam," created around 1730. It’s an engraving, with such fine detail. It evokes such a peaceful mood, with all these people lazily going on their boats. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It is tempting to just focus on its aesthetics, its picturesque qualities. But as we engage with this print, we need to consider what it omits as much as what it portrays. Who had access to these leisurely boat rides? Who owned those canalside homes? Whose labor powered this Dutch Golden Age? It's crucial to acknowledge the simultaneous flourishing of art and commerce alongside the brutal realities of colonialism and exploitation. What impact might this context have on how we receive this landscape today? Editor: That's a really interesting point. I hadn’t considered it beyond the aesthetic beauty. So, thinking about that period, were images like these also used to project power or a certain ideal of Dutch society? Curator: Absolutely. This image operates within a larger visual culture that promoted a particular narrative of Dutch prosperity and control. It idealizes the urban environment. But, the working classes and the colonies who made it possible are pushed to the periphery of Dutch society. How can we reconcile this comfortable scene with the harsh realities faced by many at that time? Editor: It really makes you rethink the whole image, understanding that a seemingly idyllic scene might be obscuring other narratives. Thanks, I definitely see it differently now. Curator: And I am also grateful for that moment of questioning of the Dutch narrative that, until now, had seemed normal to me.