Vissen en schelpen before 1959

Curator: Let’s spend a moment contemplating D. Middelhoek’s watercolor work, "Vissen en schelpen," created before 1959. The title translates to “Fish and Shells.” Editor: It evokes a kind of whimsical marine archaeology. There is a very appealing sense of playful experimentation in the stark shapes against a blurred background. Curator: It certainly plays with the liminal space between observation and abstraction. Middelhoek's artistic process uses the properties of watercolor and a loose, gestural style that pushes our understanding of representational art towards a flatter space where line, texture, and tone matter more. The method has similarities to automatism, suggesting less conscious control, almost like letting the medium guide the direction. Editor: Agreed. Viewing this piece now, I consider the environmental context of the mid-20th century. This period had a developing, increasingly urgent environmental consciousness regarding our relationship with marine ecosystems—a discourse reflected in the abstraction of natural forms and concern regarding extraction and consumption. The shells evoke a sense of something being unearthed, displaced, rendered powerless. Curator: Yes, it is very thought provoking in terms of the making as an intentional expression. The materiality—watercolor washes over a grainy, textured support—points to a deliberate attempt at conveying a sense of fragility and perhaps of temporal flux, where these objects become unearthed and preserved for viewing. Editor: I'd go further and say the composition has this beautiful vulnerability, a silent commentary perhaps, or a subtle indictment, related to the impact humanity can have. It quietly compels us to see how we relate with the sea. Curator: Indeed. It is in moments of engagement that our connection to the artist is strongest. I do believe, too, the method reveals much, almost an X-ray, about the period's relationship to resources and consumerism, and perhaps how artists grappled with changing tides of awareness. Editor: And perhaps it offers us today an invitation to do the same. To grapple with our own tides of change. Curator: I would have to agree. Thanks to this piece, that grappling may very well result in insights that help reshape what comes next.