Ruïne van laboratorium Stoelemat te Bergen op Zoom, 1831 1831

Editor: Here we have Albertus Verhoesen’s 1831 etching, “Ruïne van laboratorium Stoelemat te Bergen op Zoom,” held at the Rijksmuseum. The light and shadow give it quite a somber mood, and the ruins in the foreground make me wonder about what happened here. What story do you see in this work? Curator: This print whispers stories of ambition thwarted, doesn’t it? You sense that melancholy, and you're spot on to pick up on that! What I find so compelling is the stark contrast. On the one hand, you have this scene of utter destruction - look at the toppled structures and the chaos underfoot, suggesting not just physical ruin but perhaps a shattering of scientific ideals. But then, our eye is drawn to these groups of figures. There’s almost a formal procession of gentlemen, and they seem strangely…stiff. They’re observers, really, aren’t they? Editor: That's a great point, they look quite detached, almost posed. Curator: Exactly! What could be their intent? And think about what laboratories stood for in the 19th century. All that is dashed, now replaced with… what? How does this ruin make you *feel*? Perhaps we need ruins to truly build, a phoenix from the ashes type of idea... It’s heavy with possibility, isn’t it? Editor: Absolutely, I can almost feel the sense of loss and, like you say, the stirrings of something new waiting to emerge from the rubble. Thank you. Curator: It’s the alchemy of destruction and hope, right there. Thank you for sharing my perspective and enthusiasm.