Gebirgslandschaft mit Wald, links am Weg ein sitzender und ein stehender Mann 

Editor: So here we have "Mountainous Landscape with Forest, with a Seated and Standing Man on the Road to the Left," a drawing by Jacob Esselens, done in ink on paper. It looks like an etching, very detailed! What stands out to me are the intricate details of the trees; you can almost feel the texture of the bark. What can you tell me about it? Curator: This landscape invites us to consider the materiality of image-making itself. The ink, the paper—they're not neutral supports but active participants in the creation of this scene. Consider the labour involved in creating these detailed lines, replicating nature on a manageable scale. Editor: That's a good point, it looks like it took a lot of work, and it also brings up the contrast between raw nature and industrial making, if we consider that paper is made industrially… Were landscape drawings usually so detailed? Curator: That's right! And ask yourself, what does such detailed replication achieve? Esselens is using ink – a readily available trade commodity – to portray nature, another commodity, potentially destined for sale or trade itself. He's also mediating nature through a lens that suggests control, ownership and certainly consumption. How does the technique shape your understanding of nature here? Editor: I see what you mean. I hadn't thought about the ink itself as a commodity before, but that makes sense. I guess the precision makes it feel more controlled, less wild and untamed. Curator: Exactly. And perhaps that control and order are what Esselens was trying to convey to appeal to buyers and establish the Netherlands’ cultural influence. It offers a perspective not only on nature, but on the relationship between humans and the natural world. Editor: I'll never look at ink the same way again. It is interesting how art materials tell so much about culture!