Maaspunttoren in de stadsmuur van Maastricht 1830 - 1899

Editor: This etching by Alexander Schaepkens, dating sometime between 1830 and 1899, is titled "Maaspunttoren in de stadsmuur van Maastricht." It feels both solid and transient at the same time, especially the way the artist plays with light. What catches your eye in this print? Curator: The Maaspunttoren represents more than just architectural realism. Think about city walls: they speak to power, protection, exclusion. This image, frozen in time, compels us to consider the dynamics of who is inside, who is outside, and who controls access. Maastricht, positioned on trade routes, was intensely invested in those separations, both practically and symbolically. What narrative does this crumbling, yet imposing, tower evoke for you? Editor: I suppose I hadn't considered it beyond the aesthetic, but now I'm wondering about how the tower functions as a representation of civic power and the control of resources. Its decay could be a sign of changing times, a challenge to that power. Curator: Precisely! And consider the very act of etching itself. This print allows for dissemination, a democratization of the image of power. Who gets to see it? Who can own it? It creates a dialogue far beyond the physical walls of Maastricht. Do you see any relationship to contemporary discussions of borders, migration, and access? Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about it that way makes this historical piece incredibly relevant to today's socio-political climate. Curator: Art helps us see those connections. The tower, then and now, compels us to question what barriers we construct, both literally and figuratively. Editor: Thank you, I never would have considered this piece with such nuance on my own!