Stoom- en zeilschip op het water c. 1825 - 1875

Curator: This is "Stoom- en zeilschip op het water," or "Steam and Sailing Ship on the Water," a pencil drawing from circa 1825-1875 by Petrus Johannes Schotel, found here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression? Ethereal, almost ghostly. The lines are so delicate, they seem to barely touch the paper, creating a vessel that’s more like a memory than a physical object. Curator: Schotel was deeply engaged with the maritime world, but I see more than just accurate representation. The choice of pencil lends itself to capturing fleeting moments, resonating with broader shifts during a time of massive transatlantic migrations and power struggles. Who has access to these new technologies, who commands the seas, and at whose expense? Editor: An interesting reading. Structurally, the interplay of horizontals and verticals is what captures my eye. The ship's main body, a bold horizontal, is counterbalanced by the vertical masts, which are reflected below. These reflections—mere lines really—hint at the world below the surface and generate a mirrored composition around an implicit horizon. Curator: And consider the romanticism style that is at play here. These kinds of works idealize sea travel. It speaks volumes about the burgeoning industrial revolution. Who gets the rewards for the rise of capital enabled by technological innovation versus, say, the exploitation of workers. We have to bring an intersectional framework to bear on this discussion. Editor: That said, do you think, perhaps, we are reading too much narrative into what is, after all, a preliminary sketch? Note that, due to its placement on the page, one could say that Schotel was exploring multiple possible arrangements or viewpoints simultaneously. I see this more as Schotel working through form and possibility. Curator: True, we have to concede this artwork's unfinished qualities. And while remaining aware of formal elements is critical, context is crucial. Schotel's sketch offers us not just an image of a steam and sailing ship, but a window onto a world undergoing profound transformations with all its attendant ethical concerns. Editor: So, in a sense, this sketch holds space for both observation and imagination, technique and experience? A work still in progress then, if you like? Curator: Exactly. It's an invitation to connect the dots, considering how advances at sea transformed and challenged societal hierarchies—much like our current digital landscape—prompting reflections on those who are empowered by it, versus who is marginalized.