Gezicht op de Waal bij Nijmegen 1629 - 1688

Editor: This drawing, "Gezicht op de Waal bij Nijmegen" by Philips Koninck, rendered in pencil on paper, captures a seemingly endless Dutch landscape. What strikes me is the delicate rendering and expansive scale despite being just a drawing. What do you make of this work? Curator: I find Koninck’s choices of pencil on paper fascinating, as they speak directly to the artistic and economic landscape of the Dutch Golden Age. Drawings like these were commodities, objects of trade and tools of production. The accessibility and relative cheapness of pencil and paper compared to oils made landscapes available to a broader consumer base. It was an efficient way to document a prospect and served as the raw material for printmaking and painting. Notice how the artist utilized horizontal lines: what could it suggest about its time? Editor: Possibly a deliberate intention to depict the vastness of the Dutch landscape and the importance of trade and maritime activity for the Dutch Golden age economy. Are there more implications related to the production process? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the social context. The efficient use of these materials meant landscape views, once reserved for the wealthy through commissioned paintings, became accessible as prints or quickly-rendered drawings for a rising middle class. The very act of creating and consuming these works became democratized by using these affordable materials, don’t you think? Editor: I do, and I also realize that the choice of material becomes critical when interpreting such art. The humble pencil and paper hold immense historical weight here. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It is not just the final image, but the production, the consumption and accessibility which matters to fully comprehend Koninck’s landscape.