Winter Scene in Philadelphia—The Bank of the United States in the Background 1811 - 1816

Curator: Ah, doesn't this scene just crackle with life? It's "Winter Scene in Philadelphia—The Bank of the United States in the Background" by John Lewis Krimmel, painted between 1811 and 1816. It just radiates a sort of bustling, youthful energy, don't you think? Editor: Brr, my first impression is…cold. Look at that slushy ground. You can almost feel the grit underfoot. It's watercolour, isn’t it? The Bank gives off this monumental feel which really anchors the scene. Curator: Exactly! I see a flurry of daily lives colliding, bundled up figures engaging in a playful snowball fight, and the grand architecture in the background, the United States bank is more than just background scenery—the city growing behind all this youthful innocence Editor: You know, seeing the bank loom like that makes you wonder about the conditions of labor here, who benefited and who built all this and from what materials? The grand sleigh contrasts with the presumably lower-class kids making snowballs. I bet those coats aren’t warm enough. Curator: Absolutely. There's an implicit social commentary embedded within this seemingly picturesque scene of prosperity and festivity. Krimmel shows, even at winter’s iciest point, everyone is out in pursuit of something! Editor: The materiality also interests me – Krimmel is using watercolor, which, unlike oil paints, wasn't traditionally associated with 'high' art. Was this a conscious choice to depict everyday life, a democratization of image-making, even in the choice of media? Curator: I suspect so, like the democratic-republicanism in the background. His handling of watercolor manages to make a permanent image from something generally understood as transient, almost like life. He immortalizes the moment, makes light seem to dance. Editor: Yes. I now see the luminosity, that the texture gives. So many factors that affect the production, labor and experience represented within the artwork. Thanks for that illumination, literally! Curator: Always a pleasure, seeing art isn't about facts only, it's also the possibilities an artist is making or dreaming through time! Editor: Right. We're all products and witnesses of it and its making. And if you'll excuse me, I'm off to put on another layer of thermals.