Kolendragers c. 1886

Editor: So, this is "Kolendragers," made around 1886 by Willem de Zwart, using watercolors, I think? It’s mostly brown and seems…rough. What do you make of it? Curator: The roughness is interesting, isn't it? Almost a visual representation of the toil it depicts. 'Kolendragers' translates to coal carriers, and there's a compelling cultural weight within that subject. Coal was the fuel of industry, but also associated with darkness, the underworld. Does this palette evoke specific feelings to you? Editor: Yes, it makes me think of working class life and hardship. Is there something about the symbols they carry, like, something deeper than just coal? Curator: Precisely. Consider the symbol of the ship in the background. While it represents commerce and opportunity, from another perspective, could the vessel symbolize hope or perhaps the dreams of these coal carriers, weighed down by their present reality? Editor: I see your point. Maybe the rough application shows how worn out and maybe even hopeless the people in this painting feel. I would not have seen that without this. Curator: It's about understanding what these recurring elements meant within the cultural memory of the time and how those meanings are subtly altered to create something resonant for contemporary viewers too. It’s the way we link visual cues to broader cultural ideas. And perhaps that’s also why de Zwart choose a raw texture and impasto with watercolor technique: for better symbolic impact? Editor: This has been so interesting to think about symbols in a deeper way than I have before. Thank you.