Gezicht op de vulkaan Bromo in het Tenggergebergte en de Zandzee, Oost-Java Possibly 1822

Editor: This is Adrianus Johannes Bik's pencil drawing, "Gezicht op de vulkaan Bromo in het Tenggergebergte en de Zandzee, Oost-Java," potentially from 1822. It feels almost ghostly – a whisper of a landscape. What do you see in this piece, beyond the obvious volcano? Curator: Well, you're right, it IS more than just a picture postcard of Java, isn’t it? The pencil work is so delicate, almost ethereal. For me, it evokes that Romantic obsession with the sublime – nature’s raw power dwarfing humanity. That little huddle of figures in the foreground highlights this vastness, doesn't it? But tell me, does that sense of scale fill you with awe, or does it feel…oppressive? Editor: I think… both? There’s definitely a feeling of awe, but also a vulnerability. They seem so exposed. Curator: Exactly! It speaks to the colonial gaze, too. Think about it: a European artist, rendering this exotic landscape, positioning himself – and us – as observers. Does that sit comfortably, or does it make you squirm a little? It does me. The ‘Orientalism’ label hints at that. Editor: It makes me wonder what the people who lived there thought of being observed. Was this ‘their’ sublime too? Curator: Precisely! That tension, that missing indigenous perspective, is what makes this more than just a pretty picture, doesn’t it? It is like a portal for conversations, which makes it quite profound. Editor: Absolutely. It makes you question the whole narrative, not just appreciate the pretty lines. Curator: Which is the whole point of art, really. To shake things up, stir the pot, make us think a bit differently. This sketch is a quiet little troublemaker, isn't it?