Voor het onweer 1861 - 1934

Editor: This is Carl Eduard Onken’s print, "Voor het onweer", which translates to "Before the Storm," made sometime between 1861 and 1934. It's an etching, so mostly black and white, and there's this intense atmosphere about it. What’s your interpretation of it? Curator: The stormy landscape presents us with an opportunity to reflect on the social context of the artwork, thinking about power dynamics, anxieties and resilience during periods of unrest. What does the gathering storm symbolize for you, in terms of societal change? Editor: I suppose the storm suggests disruption…like, an upheaval of established orders? Curator: Exactly. And considering the artwork's creation during a time of immense social and political change, from revolutions to burgeoning industrialization, could the bridge in the background symbolize a connection to the past, even as the storm threatens to wash it away? Editor: It could represent that push and pull between tradition and progress…I hadn't considered that. What about the solitary houses on the right, hunkered down on the edge of the coming storm? Curator: Those could be interpreted as representing marginalized communities, facing the brunt of societal transformations, underscoring themes of inequality and environmental justice in the face of overwhelming forces. Does the artist seem to be on the side of the established society or against it, based on how the artist chose to portray that interaction with the environment? Editor: Seeing it this way makes it much more than just a landscape! The details contribute a sense of people threatened, but perhaps ready to stand against these outside forces? Curator: Yes, thinking about it in these terms, we are no longer simply discussing the aesthetics, we’re speaking of the social conditions and maybe even a call to action for our viewers. The environmental, historical, and sociological readings of the work really open it up. Editor: Thanks! That gives me a totally new way to see this print.