Gezicht op Maastricht 1825 - 1899

Curator: Immediately striking is the overall subdued tonality—almost ghostly. It feels quite dreamlike. Editor: We’re looking at "Gezicht op Maastricht," a pencil drawing by Alexander Schaepkens, dating from between 1825 and 1899, now held at the Rijksmuseum. What do you make of Schaepkens' chosen materials? Curator: Well, pencil, of course, suggests a preparatory sketch, or perhaps an exercise in observation. It aligns with a kind of directness, avoiding the pretensions sometimes associated with more elaborate media. It's humble. Editor: And perhaps democratic, in its accessibility as a medium? Look at the way he's depicted the steeples dominating the cityscape. These forms, historically tied to religious and civic authority, possess clear symbolic power, pointing toward heaven, announcing presence. What do they suggest to you? Curator: They evoke the traditional hierarchies of the time and serve as constant visual reminders of the structures governing daily life. Yet, they also indicate the skill of the people who erected these towers. We often fail to register this type of craft. Editor: Exactly. But, stepping back, consider the softer textures of the foliage in the foreground. What feelings do they communicate in contrast to the rigidity of the towers? Curator: I suppose a kind of wildness, untamed nature juxtaposed against human order. However, all this plant growth around Maastricht's wall surely offered resources—berries, kindling. So we are perhaps seeing the constant dialogue between town life and rural production. Editor: I see what you mean. Schaepkens does encourage a conversation about our relation to our environment and its materials. It’s a fairly balanced composition. Curator: Indeed, reflecting both tangible craft, intangible hope, and civic duty—as manifested through potent visual symbols. Editor: Yes, seeing those cathedral spires is quite humbling. Curator: It makes me more aware of how cities function ecologically, in ways hidden from formal portraits.