Gezicht op de IJssel bij De Steeg 1880 - 1884

Curator: This delicate etching from Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande, entitled "View of the IJssel near De Steeg", was created sometime between 1880 and 1884. It's now housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, the tonality strikes me; the subtle gradations in value create an almost dreamlike effect, a quiet and introspective mood. The composition, too, feels carefully constructed. Curator: Yes, the composition is strategic. Realism at the time attempted to find authenticity and expose class difference, and Van 's-Gravesande produced this at a time when artists captured everyday lives and activities and the IJssel region became quite popular for fishing and recreation. Editor: Indeed, but consider how he deploys line to articulate form. The horizontal lines of the river and the sky create a sense of expansive space. Then, the vertical strokes that define the trees create an opposition which gives the artwork visual structure. Curator: True, and while some could overlook the social implications given the calm of this etching, the boats that transport figures and commodities, the relationship with land as seen in the vegetation, all hint to class tensions. It exposes the natural and manmade borders that shape lives, reflecting upon issues that remain potent even today. Editor: While I recognize the subject's inherent connection to labor and class, it is also an exceptional visual portrayal of serene space and form that produces more complex, perhaps even ambivalent relationships. Take for instance, the reflection of the trees on the river. Do you notice the formal doubling which contributes to an almost meditative affect? Curator: That formal doubling also reflects the exploitation and simultaneous beautification of resources in a changing economy. Editor: Ultimately, Van 's-Gravesande seems to create a balanced work of art in terms of composition, materiality, and message that continues to provide opportunities for discourse and reflection. Curator: Absolutely, his commentary on landscape encourages conversations about power and perspective and about who benefits from idyllic peace and who might be excluded.