Gezicht op het Stadhuis van Leiden 1763

Editor: Here we have "Gezicht op het Stadhuis van Leiden," or "View of the Leiden City Hall," an etching and engraving by Abraham Delfos, created around 1763. It’s bustling! So much detail, a real snapshot of daily life. What strikes you most about it? Curator: It's funny you say snapshot, because in a way, that's exactly what these cityscapes were trying to do before photography existed. More than a factual record, I find it revealing to think about how much of Delfos went into this, what *he* chose to show. Notice how crisp the architecture is in comparison to the sky, almost dreamy. He wants you to look at that City Hall! Editor: So it’s not *just* documentation, but… propaganda, almost? What a civic booster! And I see what you mean about the focus on the architecture – the lines are so clean. Curator: Well, maybe booster is too strong a word, though he clearly takes pride. Perhaps he felt he could capture the bustling life around the imposing structures? What does that imply to you? All these people – what are they doing? Are they there accidentally? Are we, perhaps, seeing the scene as he *wants* to remember it? Editor: Interesting… he’s composing a specific memory. So each figure, each dog, has a purpose. It definitely gives it a less… random feel. I see it now; there's almost a stage-like quality to the scene. Like everyone's acting. I will not look at busy prints the same! Curator: Precisely. Etchings and engravings are typically reproducible. Every art tells more if you are curious and ask. The layers of decisions, the *who, what, when, where, why* always makes things so much more enjoyable to think about and investigate further!