Buiten Alkmaar 1722 - 1784

Curator: Here we have a charming print, an etching actually, by Simon Fokke titled "Buiten Alkmaar," placing us somewhere in the Netherlands between 1722 and 1784. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What's your first take? Editor: Brisk air, frozen canals, a whole village on skates! It feels… energetically wistful. Like a memory warming itself by a fire. The whole scene, with its muted sepia tones, hums with the spirit of a Dutch winter day. Curator: Absolutely! Fokke captured the spirit of everyday life beautifully. Notice the variety of figures—from children learning to skate to adults pulling sleds, perhaps filled with goods headed for the market. Editor: The sled-puller immediately caught my eye, he seems to struggle and is balanced against the wind – a very clever little man. I like this everyday scene as it creates continuity through cultural symbols. In ancient Greece and Rome winter was viewed as hostile but later was interpreted as transformative, as necessary preparation. Curator: Precisely. Winter becomes associated with community resilience, like a genre painting freeze-framed into history. Even the windmills in the distance—classic Dutch symbols—seem to stand as stoic sentinels. I would interpret that the transformation may be as simple as finding community through hard-working conditions. What do you think? Editor: Ah, and those windmills evoke such a sense of cyclical rhythms, the grind of daily existence, but also the potential for renewal. Curator: And don’t forget the sailboats trapped in ice, transformed temporarily from a means of commerce to static symbols of dormant activity, waiting for the thaw. But if we analyze closely there´s no ice, but merely some liquid on the floor. This is important for our idea on daily transformation. Editor: True, they almost look ghostly. There is no ice just an interpretation of slippery surfaces, I think. Curator: Thinking about cultural memories, winter in landscapes are constantly filled with metaphors! Thank you! Editor: Exactly! I am honored that you agree.