Brug over het water 1867 - 1890

Editor: This is "Brug over het water" by Philip Zilcken, an etching made sometime between 1867 and 1890. It's a tranquil scene, with the detailed linework really capturing the reflections in the water. I am really intrigued by this lonely bridge. What do you see in it? Curator: I see the rise of a modern consciousness reflected in the democratization of landscape. This isn't a grand vista, painted for nobility. It is an intimate, quotidian scene accessible to a burgeoning middle class with a hunger for representations of their own experiences. What is emphasized is that the scene is made by an etching technique. Editor: So, you're saying that the technique and the subject matter are both important? How does the etching process relate to the piece’s meaning? Curator: Precisely. The etching itself, as a form of printmaking, makes art more accessible and democratic. It’s no longer the domain of unique, expensive paintings. Further, Zilcken has been a student with such major modern figures as Whistler, Toussaint and Maris, and later on became influential within artistic societies, museums and publications. So, in effect, he is part of what shapes the understanding of this type of work, the popular acceptance of Impressionism and the like. Editor: That's interesting; he’s shaping the world that allows him to produce this kind of piece. Curator: Exactly. And, consider the subject again: the humble bridge, the simplified forms. These are signs pointing towards an aesthetic valuing direct experience, unmediated by academic traditions. We see nature engaged in its own terms, instead of those that dictate that painting must follow established guidelines. Zilcken had a prominent position as a reviewer to help popularize it. Editor: I never thought about the bridge representing accessibility like that, a bridging of everyday life and representation through new media. That definitely deepens my understanding of it. Curator: The image functions as a visual statement about a changing society.