Zeilschip voor de kust 1881 - 1927

Curator: Here we have Johan Antonie de Jonge's drawing, "Zeilschip voor de kust," or "Sailing Ship off the Coast," created sometime between 1881 and 1927. It’s rendered in pencil and ink. Editor: Oh, I like this! It has that loose, dreamy feeling. Like a half-remembered seaside trip, with the scratchy, simple lines bringing out the coast. Makes you wonder what happened in that area that's partially unfinished! Curator: Absolutely, and when considering its time of creation, it comes on the heels of massive industrial expansion and urbanization in the Netherlands, a period marked by significant economic disparity and a changing relationship to the landscape. One wonders if this work serves as an imagined counterpoint? Editor: Could be! I see it, though, maybe the artist just wanted to get the basic image down. Get the important elements correct - the curve of the ship and rigging - but then maybe the light changed, or the water, and it was left at a suggestion! Like poetry! Curator: Or perhaps its incompleteness alludes to the disruptions of coastal life brought on by industrial fishing, the encroachment of ports, and perhaps the subtle hints of maritime labor? One has to wonder. Editor: That’s so interesting. It could also just be me projecting myself into it! This image makes me imagine myself sketching this with him, next to the artist with our toes in the sand and forgetting to finish. A meditation in grayscale, if you will. Curator: This allows us to appreciate the socio-economic currents flowing at the time De Jonge likely put pencil to paper. Dutch society experienced both enormous growth and periods of considerable instability as the economic landscape evolved. Editor: See, to me, it looks so fleeting, the boats almost ghosts and it all whispers "seize the day," like those sailors. Now I want to be in the salty air and just exist in the moment, you know? It reminds us to stay calm. Curator: Indeed, this intersection between art, personal emotion, and societal reckoning serves as an enriching point of exploration, reminding us to look closer at the contexts in which art is born. Editor: Absolutely. And even unfinished, a piece of art can have an amazing kind of peace that allows our mind to wander as it may, so personally? I consider that very interesting!