Aartsvader 1880 - 1932

Editor: This striking woodcut, "Aartsvader," created between 1880 and 1932 by Henri van der Stok, really catches my eye. There’s such a strong contrast between the black and white, giving it an almost ancient feel. I’m curious, what narratives do you find emerging from this print? Curator: Ah, yes. I feel in this work an intense invitation to contemplation on the origins of our selves. Doesn't it strike you as a little mischievous? The stark contrast Van der Stok employs creates such a drama. The almost geometric representation of the patriarch, looming over a landscape of what appears to be… tents, mountains? He seems less a benevolent father and more like a gatekeeper. I find myself asking, "What wisdom does he guard, and what price does he demand for it?" Do you see what I mean? Editor: I do. I was focused on the ‘father’ aspect, but now I see the gatekeeper idea much more clearly. He does seem to guard the pathway behind him. Maybe that's why he’s so stern. Is the landscape perhaps a spiritual one? Curator: Precisely! Or a metaphorical journey. Look at those pyramidal forms – not quite mountains, not quite buildings. A landscape of the mind, perhaps? Maybe the tents below could represent transient thoughts? Van der Stok uses simplicity to invite complexity. A lovely paradox, isn't it? It reminds me of a half-remembered dream. Editor: It definitely changes my perception. At first, I just saw an old man in a stark landscape. But seeing him as a gatekeeper, guarding a symbolic path, it becomes so much richer. Curator: Wonderful. What started as starkness now blooms, even within the woodcut’s intense black and white! The world reshapes itself before our very eyes, doesn't it? And so does the art. Editor: Absolutely. This close looking at this old print has made it new to me. Thank you!