Honderdjarig bestaan van de Burgerlijke Wetgeving 1938 1938

Editor: We're looking at "Honderdjarig bestaan van de Burgerlijke Wetgeving 1938," a bronze relief sculpture created by Johannes Cornelis Wienecke. It’s currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It has such a formal, stately presence... a little imposing, almost! What strikes you about it? Curator: Imposing is a great word for it. It’s so self-assured, isn't it? This piece to me feels almost like a little stage. Notice how the building sits atop these raised steps. A building celebrating law is lifted above, set apart for the viewer. You almost feel like you are approaching a classical play. Also note, this sculpture was created on the eve of WWII in 1938, as dark clouds are approaching over Europe, it’s like a statement of enduring order. Do you feel that? Editor: I do! The radiating lines above the building almost feel like... well, like rays of hope, even, fighting against those clouds. The chains bordering the sculpture - do they play into that feeling of order as well? Curator: Good question. Chains are interesting, aren't they? Are they binding or holding together? Given the context of the time, and what is being honored, I would say they act as ties to the rest of society. Law connects. Which makes you consider…what is truly holding us together? It is something physical, or some agreed idea or belief? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered the chains in that way at all. It’s like the sculpture is asking you to think about the very foundations of society. Curator: Exactly. Art is rarely passive, right? I always consider what a piece makes me consider about my world and values. Hopefully that's what pieces like this make others do, as well. Editor: Absolutely. Thanks so much for that perspective. I feel like I see so much more in it now.