Gezicht op het dorp Westzaandam gezien over het water Possibly 1786 - 1825

Curator: Soothing, isn't it? I get the feeling that nothing much is going to happen today, that there are no real dramas at play, and perhaps that is the drama. Editor: Exactly! Carel Frederik Bendorp brings us this piece called "Gezicht op het dorp Westzaandam gezien over het water," placing us in, as the title states, Westzaandam. The exact year is unknown, estimated sometime between 1786 and 1825. I believe Bendorp is capturing the idyllic charm of a Dutch village from a unique vantage point. Curator: It's so very calm. I love the colors of the town contrasted with the earthy color of the sails. My first impression is of these warm reds. I mean the muted palette contributes to this overall sensation of nostalgia, of perhaps some long-forgotten story of homecoming or return. What do you make of that? Editor: The artist used watercolor and printmaking to layer fine details, yes. Notice how he establishes a spatial relationship with foregrounded vessels which recede gradually toward that distant steeple—organizing pictorial depth from our perspective. The brush strokes create varying light effects in the water itself as well as above the city. Curator: Absolutely. It has an interesting dream-like quality, especially in how the church steeple and the windmill feel almost interchangeable and yet it definitely has weight too. It’s got that, I don’t know, Dutch realism thing happening as well! Like they say: "God is in the details.” Bendorp is definitely playing! Editor: Bendorp seems to be using his composition to present an image that encapsulates Dutch identity—port town—prosperity reflected serenely on the waters. You can just make out the text right underneath the artwork. Curator: It leaves me content, maybe with the quiet yearning for something unnamable. The peace, you know? This painting has captured that sense of peace that exists deep down for something. It is worth it, just for that. Editor: For me it is Bendorp’s capacity to fuse a sense of order through geometric structure with that inherent serenity from this time—he allows the viewer to see Westzaandam as both observed, tangible place, but also through an almost imagined, emotive interpretation.