From the Bridge 1970

Curator: Ah, "From the Bridge," a 1970 etching by Angela Bing Jansen. There's a striking ambiguity, a tension in perspective, that I find immediately captivating. What's your initial response? Editor: Eerie. That's the word. It's like peering into a faded memory, the city half-formed, half-dissolved. Those stark lines cutting through the image make me uneasy. Curator: Those lines almost create a sense of looking both at the scene and through something, as if the bridge exists in multiple planes. Angela Bing Jansen’s technical skill is evident in how she used the etching process to render such subtle gradations of tone. But what's the role of the urban subject for her? Editor: The image conjures the period immediately after the Second World War. There’s the desire to make visible an optimism about the rebuilding process of cities. We can feel this through the contrast of straight and angular lines, especially if you notice the upper section of the building structures. These contrast starkly with what happens underneath on the street-scape, and in that the piece shows us a division between aspiration and social reality. Curator: I resonate with that perspective. The piece becomes almost a diagram of the artist’s feelings. Do you feel that her title directs our attention to this physical place, “from the bridge?” Does it influence your reading of the imagery? Editor: It suggests a specific viewpoint, an almost godlike gaze upon the scene. You are lifted above and observe at the same time. The artist emphasizes this separation in social class as well. I'm really intrigued by how she juxtaposes architectural structure with free, almost haphazard, markings that speak to something less definite in terms of social and civic order. Curator: The etching almost pulses with an unseen energy, both promising and subtly threatening. You have a glimpse into progress on the surface, but under this the lines expose us to potential disarray that the project covers up. It truly makes you reflect upon our urban futures. Editor: Yes, it really offers a powerful insight into Angela Bing Jansen’s own perceptions of civic reform in post-war urban communities. Thank you.