Gezicht op een stad aan het water 1890 - 1946

Curator: Let’s take a look at "Gezicht op een stad aan het water," which translates to "View of a City on the Water." Cornelis Vreedenburgh created this pencil drawing sometime between 1890 and 1946, and it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It looks like a hazy memory! Or one of those almost-forgotten dreams where you only catch snippets of places, you know? Curator: Precisely. As an exploratory sketch, it's less about concrete reality and more about capturing a fleeting impression. We see this light pencil work typical of early idea generation, and a clear style related to a sketchbook. Vreedenburgh is rapidly jotting down the basic compositional elements: the water, the skyline, the suggestion of buildings. Editor: Yeah, it’s all about lines! Kind of like scribbled poetry. I mean, what is this city even meant to be? Could be anywhere, really. It's the essence of "city-ness" rather than a specific place. The details aren't as important as this feeling that the hand was busy! Curator: Well, consider how cityscapes evolved as subjects during that period. Rapid industrialization, urbanization… the lived experience of the city was becoming increasingly fragmented. This drawing speaks to that, almost like a fragmented impression of societal structure reflected in landscape. It is like examining a visual manifestation of constant change. Editor: Hmmm… you made it sound so serious. It could have just been a nice sunny afternoon, someone sketching while having an ice cream. Occam's razor and all that... Anyway, I see it more as this intimate moment between the artist and… well, his pad! Curator: I like the intimacy, and I agree. But, placing the work in the social conditions, this sketch can give an idea about social change reflected in artistic practice. This informs future work, or is itself a product of change and adaptation. Editor: And that’s the beauty of art, right? We both can find such different narratives there. Makes you think…what's MY memory city look like, or how the same things changed my views throughout my life. Curator: A powerful sentiment to carry from this room and into the museum.