Maart 1545 - 1608

Curator: We’re looking at a print entitled "Maart," believed to be created sometime between 1545 and 1608 by Pieter van der Borcht the Elder. It is a Northern Renaissance engraving currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately striking is the industrious air, an almost feverish preparation for the growing season. There's an incredible sense of ordered chaos within a meticulously rendered composition. Curator: Indeed, the piece cleverly juxtaposes labor with the promise of future abundance, an archetypal characteristic of genre paintings, specifically tied to the themes of cityscapes and landscapes of the time. Observe the detail in rendering each figure, actively involved in various tasks from tending garden plots to constructing supports. Semiotics are hard at play! Editor: But it's not just *any* labor, is it? Notice the barrel being levered. The way materials such as the wood and stone are being handled to construct what seem like very luxurious walled gardens. The scene almost speaks of a commissioned estate where every inch is cultivated labor. This brings into focus the consumption and resources needed. Curator: That brings up a fascinating point; structurally, this controlled garden space is sharply set off against the natural rolling countryside depicted beyond. It is hard to unsee the underlying meaning relating the artwork to the broader philosophy of that age and their role in it all. Editor: I think your reading is too simple, actually. Let’s look more closely at the labor itself, all those human gestures engraved into lines, and what they meant when this artwork was produced. One thing I can’t dismiss is the incredible tension in creating "order" or rather the idea of an aesthetic standard in a material world! Curator: A fair assessment and a very valid angle to it, to see and assess the hard labour behind that beautiful "order". I certainly found value in looking closer into what appears at first glance, from afar. Editor: Agreed. Reflecting on its making and material connections, I'm struck by the piece's insight on the relationship between the controlled aesthetics and tangible toil, and the structures around it all!