Wat gij hier ziet o lieve jeugd, / Geschiedt tot leering en tot vreugd 1833 - 1856

Editor: This is "Wat gij hier ziet o lieve jeugd, / Geschiedt tot leering en tot vreugd" by Jan (Sr.) Oortman, created sometime between 1833 and 1856. It's a lithograph or perhaps an etching and a print. The piece strikes me as quite busy. What organizing principles or formal qualities do you find most compelling in this work? Curator: From a formalist perspective, it is critical to observe how the artist structures space and guides the viewer's eye. Note the arrangement of the individual scenes into a grid; each compartment, self-contained yet unified through the overarching structure. Do you perceive how the repetition of shapes and colors create a visual rhythm? Editor: Yes, the small rectangular frames share a similar format. But the scenes within each differ greatly, from landscapes to interiors to street scenes. Does that variation impact the work's unity? Curator: The variations serve to disrupt any simple reading, challenging us to find underlying formal connections. Observe how areas of color, specifically the selective yellow highlights, function as visual anchors across the composition, even if the narrative content shifts dramatically. Do these chromatic choices invite any interpretations of narrative structure? Editor: I see what you mean. The yellow acts as a binding agent, drawing my eye from scene to scene. So, even without knowing the precise stories depicted, the composition holds together visually through colour and geometric regularity. It makes me curious about Oortman’s emphasis on formal composition over literal narrative, or if the narrative flows from it. Thank you! Curator: Precisely. This piece reveals how formal elements are active in communicating or disrupting, the visual coherence over the immediate communication of a message being essential. These systematic features give it a charm.