Waterfall Between Rocks c. 18th century

Editor: This is Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich’s “Waterfall Between Rocks.” It’s an etching, and the detail is amazing, especially in the trees. What strikes you about the imagery, its evocation of place? Curator: Consider the waterfall – a classic symbol of the passage of time, the fleeting nature of existence. The rocks, however, speak of permanence, endurance. Does that tension resonate with you, the push and pull between change and stability? Editor: I hadn’t considered that contrast. The way the city almost disappears in the background, that feels intentional now. Curator: Indeed. It’s a dialogue between the man-made and the natural, the temporal and the eternal, coded within a deceptively simple landscape. We see both our fleeting existence and enduring nature through those symbols. Editor: That makes me see the whole image differently. Thanks!