Wagen van de vrachtrijder 1827 - 1828

Editor: Right, next up, we have "Wagen van de vrachtrijder," or "Wagon of the Carrier" created around 1827-1828 by Victor Adam. It’s a cityscape done in etching, lithograph, drawing, and print. The scene itself feels so… dusty? Old, not just in age but in feeling, and also rather crammed. What draws your eye when you look at this work? Curator: Oh, dusty is good, that’s exactly what I see! It’s like stepping back into a memory, isn’t it? All these layers of texture – the smokestack in the distance, the weight of the wagon. Look at how the artist stacks those compositional elements – a veritable urban sandwich! It reminds me a bit of Piranesi, actually, this bustling energy, almost overwhelming. It's romanticism with a grittier edge. What do you make of the scale and depth? Editor: It is kind of oppressive. The detail packed into such a relatively small space is interesting. It's not a pleasant view exactly but…captivating. How much of this do you think is a comment on industrialization, or even class? Curator: Precisely! The beginnings of the industrial revolution would absolutely have been top of mind when Victor Adam made this work. Note the stark contrast between the working animals pulling the wagon and the passenger coach further back, and that plume from the smokestack just visible over the water! I think there’s a melancholy here too. All that weight… who benefits? I wonder… Editor: Hmm, I didn't quite pick up on the melancholy at first, but I definitely see that tension now. Thanks! I like it a little better, in a dark way. Curator: Art affects us like that, changing as we change and as we see more, feel more. That is part of the mysterious power this artwork holds, for me anyway!