Gezicht op Amsterdam, vanaf het IJ (plaat I) 1612 - 1652

Curator: We're looking at an engraving here entitled, "Gezicht op Amsterdam, vanaf het IJ," which translates to "View of Amsterdam from the IJ." It was created sometime between 1612 and 1652. Editor: The immediate impression is a bustling port. So many ships, the hint of smoke, and those textured waves—it really conveys movement and commerce. But also the sheer scale, the vastness of the port compared to the buildings. Curator: That scale is important, isn't it? Consider Amsterdam's golden age and its ascendancy as a global trade power during that period. The viewpoint from the IJ is deliberate; it shows Amsterdam embracing, literally, maritime dominance. The detail in the engraving, especially on the ships' flags and rigging, speaks to the city's meticulous record-keeping and administration. Editor: And those little puffs of smoke from a ship, a sort of signal maybe? Or is it a display of power? In this case we can understand maritime dominance as not only related to trading power, but in its implicit ties to war. Looking through the lens of trade and colonial routes, you'd also need to include the bodies and exploitation that supported the wealth depicted. How can that context change the meaning here? Curator: That's a necessary question. While on its surface, this appears to be an affirmation of prosperity and civic pride, we must interrogate the historical implications. The print makes a very public statement regarding Amsterdam’s significance. As an artwork displayed publicly, perhaps reproduced, this is essentially publicity for the city as an entity involved in trade and all its historical baggage. Editor: Absolutely. I think situating this print in terms of early forms of PR and advertising allows the artwork to speak to us today. Considering what images get reproduced and for what purposes is an ongoing task that relates to all forms of image-making, including engravings like this one. Curator: Thinking about it through those terms changes our perception of the artist’s work, it opens avenues to a broader narrative around societal self-fashioning, as a complex matrix of economy, labor, and often unseen forms of violence. Editor: Exactly. It becomes less of a picturesque view and more of a layered statement with significant implications that are just as crucial to disentangle now.