Spreekwoorden 1850 - 1881

Curator: This engaging print is titled "Spreekwoorden," or "Proverbs," and it's by Dirk Noothoven van Goor, dating somewhere between 1850 and 1881. It’s rendered in lithography and engraving, creating a wonderful illustrative quality. What’s your immediate take? Editor: I’m immediately drawn to the overall narrative quality, like little snapshots of Dutch maritime life – tiny windows into a bygone era. There’s a folksy charm in its detail, an innocent quality but perhaps somewhat dark at times? Curator: It's a fascinating exploration of visual communication, especially when considering the materials available at the time. These printing methods democratized art in a way – making these kinds of moralizing, didactic themes available to a wide audience. You know, engraving is labor-intensive work – etching and acid, it shows an investment in spreading ideas to the populace, the consumer really. Editor: Absolutely, I feel as though this piece would be considered fine art in today's standards. I wonder who the main consumer audience was? It is quite fascinating, how something so overtly instructional— almost like a manual— manages to have such subtle undertones! Look, the ships in this composition have individual "moods", and the waves crash at various intensities, all relating somehow to human values in life, love and labor... Curator: Indeed, "Proverbs taken from Ship Life" as the text declares... So we’re seeing common sayings of the day illustrated visually through maritime scenes. Each scene features a boat caught in a situation which relates to these popular idioms, providing material context. Notice the repetition of line, which shows that mass consumption was likely on the mind of the craftsman. The themes must have been incredibly popular to continue making copies. Editor: It makes me think of old, sea shanties too – work songs used to coordinate labour at sea and somehow turned into metaphors about our relationships and society at large. In fact, the combination of image and printed proverbs is, I think, what makes this piece truly delightful! The visual metaphors create such an immersive experience. Curator: Exactly, and it demonstrates the clever intersection of commercial art and social commentary – the labor of the sea, quite literally visualized, pressed, and reproduced for a buying public. Editor: It's quite clever really, and thought-provoking, thank you! Curator: My pleasure. I do have an increased appreciation for the piece myself after today.