Færge over Tiberen 1825 - 1893

Curator: Welcome. Before us hangs Færge over Tiberen, or Ferry over the Tiber, an etching and engraving work produced sometime between 1825 and 1893 by Balzer Dahl, part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: Mmm, grey! A symphony of greys. It feels… dreamlike, almost ghostly. It has the feel of one of those fading memories that come and go, leaving the general impression more than the full picture. Is it just me? Curator: Not at all. The limited palette emphasizes the work's delicate linework, typical of etchings of the era, designed to offer viewers an engaging look at European life. Editor: European life! That’s awfully grandiose. It's a bunch of buildings along a river. What stands out to me, though, is that little boat—the ferry, I suppose. The way it sits so calmly amidst all that stone... It makes me wonder where those passengers are headed, what their lives are like, the conversations they must be having as they travel the Tiber. Curator: Such transport ferries, beyond their basic utility, played crucial roles in shaping the social and economic interactions within urban environments. They are an indispensable part of understanding everyday life. Editor: True, but I like that the print hints at something both historical, even a bit mundane and something deeply personal too. Rome has a way of getting under your skin and sticking with you for a lifetime. Curator: Well, Balzer Dahl lived in an era heavily influenced by Romanticism and nationalism. Cityscapes, like this view of Rome, reflected emerging identities, linking architectural details with personal and civic pride. How buildings define identities and construct power dynamics remains very central today, Editor: You know, despite being essentially lines on paper, I almost feel the heat rising from the stones, the hustle on the streets, and the ever-present Roman light, It all tells some very universal stories to me. I find that really clever. Curator: Perhaps. Such historical records always leave a unique and nuanced cultural snapshot. They remind us what it meant to experience such a site in the moment and in its becoming. Editor: Precisely. Thanks for adding more layers to my feeling of things.