Achterkanten van huizen langs het water 1870 - 1941

Editor: So, this is Eduard Karsen's "Backs of Houses Along the Water," an etching from somewhere between 1870 and 1941. The fine lines give it a somewhat melancholic air, I think. What strikes you when you look at this work? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the process. An etching requires labor; the deliberate scratching of a plate, the acid bath... What does this tell us about Karsen's relationship to his subject? These aren't grand facades, but the 'backs' of houses – the areas connected to work, industry, and likely, a different social class. It is not classically beautiful. Editor: I see what you mean. It does seem like he’s focusing on the working parts of the city. The less romantic side of things, if you will. Curator: Exactly! And think about printmaking itself – it’s a medium inherently tied to reproducibility and distribution. Was Karsen attempting to democratize the image, bringing scenes from overlooked spaces to a wider audience? Perhaps it was to comment on urbanization and its impact. What kinds of inks would be available at that time and what was the process like for making them? It speaks volumes! Editor: That makes me think about how a painting might immortalize a wealthy patron, while a print could document the lives of ordinary people. Curator: Precisely! This subtle cityscape then is laden with questions around the means of artistic production and its potential to engage with and depict the working class, challenging high art norms of his era by portraying these understated, mundane scenes. This shift really emphasizes Karsen's radical focus on the material circumstances of his art. Editor: This has completely changed my perspective. Thanks, I now see it is much more than just a simple landscape! Curator: It’s about understanding the art itself. And what kind of lives contributed to making such pieces.