Berglandschap met een waterval en toren 1882

Curator: Alexander Ver Huell crafted this engaging "Berglandschap met een waterval en toren"—that's "Mountain Landscape with Waterfall and Tower"—back in 1882. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum collection and rendered with ink and watercolor on paper. What do you make of it? Editor: Initially? Bleak beauty, honestly. It’s a monochrome world in here. You get that cold, damp feel from the washes, a romantic sort of loneliness accentuated by the tower and waterfall isolated amid a vast, unpopulated wilderness. Curator: Exactly. It captures that 19th-century fascination with the sublime, where nature evokes both awe and a certain dread. These romantic landscapes often served as a reflection of inner emotional states during that time. The lack of color perhaps amplifying those solemn feelings. Editor: Absolutely, it’s the soul made visible. This monochrome choice pushes us inwards—there is a ghostly atmosphere. Plus, the technique… Look at how loose the brushwork is! Especially on the foliage, conveying the feeling of a forest just blowing and moving as if alive. I can feel myself swept away with this scene, imagining the artist sketching this outside in the open air "en plein air". Curator: Good observation. Working outdoors afforded artists new opportunities to capture fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, contributing to a sense of immediacy. You see how plein-air sketches challenged academic conventions, moving away from highly finished studio paintings? Editor: Right! You get this sense of authenticity…Like Ver Huell didn’t just dream this up, he truly experienced it. And I suppose, in that experience he chose to keep some of the story and remove others; choosing which colors and details mattered. To remove yourself from the narrative while telling it? Fascinating. Curator: Ultimately, “Berglandschap met een waterval en toren” reflects broader artistic shifts towards prioritizing subjective experience. The democratization of art production via mass manufacturing contributed significantly too! Editor: So, the political landscape shifted into how one might engage with landscapes. What began as an "escape from life" may also invite new conversations. And you know what? I'm ready to grab my pack and start trekking. Curator: Agreed, its allure makes us dreamers still, doesn’t it?