Bosgezicht 1822 - 1888

Curator: Oh, the air practically hums with mystery in this one! Editor: Indeed. What we have here is an engraving entitled "Bosgezicht," placing us somewhere between 1822 and 1888, created by Wilhelm von Abbema. Curator: The mood hits you right away, doesn’t it? Dark, Romantic. The density of the forest is so palpable – almost like a stage set. Editor: The trees certainly have a theatrical quality. You know, the forest, in the Romantic era, symbolized the untamed, the subconscious – a space for solitary contemplation, or even, a descent into the self. Curator: It’s all light and shadow. Are those gnarled roots or ancient snakes at the base of those trees? It makes you wonder what secrets this wood keeps. Is it inviting or forbidding? Or is it, as always, a little bit of both? Editor: Note how the stream meanders through, a trope in landscape art representing the passage of time, but here it's rendered almost as a reflective surface to look into. Also, the choice of an engraving… the medium itself lends to that dramatic contrast. Curator: That stream invites me in; like some liquid mirror reflecting unspoken dreams. The forest isn’t still, but pregnant, humming and waiting to share some vital secrets. If you dare to go deep enough, that is. Editor: It also acts as a source, a creative force as much as a source of life; you see that again and again in fairytales. This particular visual formula for forests becomes the template for psychological projection: happiness or horror. Curator: It’s amazing, isn't it, how artists manage to distill our hopes and anxieties into simple imagery? One glance at this, and it feels as if Abbema captured something primordial, something universal. Editor: It feels almost predictable when we have centuries to trace those formulas; predictable but nonetheless beautiful. Curator: It's true. "Bosgezicht" holds a timeless mirror up to nature, and thus, ourselves. I keep going back to that stream... Editor: Symbolism always pulls you in with questions. Well, perhaps we shall dive into the forest a little deeper on the next stop!