Schelp c. 1867 - 1935

Curator: Welcome. Before us hangs "Schelp", a watercolour drawing created by Maurits van der Valk sometime between 1867 and 1935. Editor: You know, it has this wonderfully soft quality. I almost feel like I could reach out and feel the texture of the shell. Curator: Van der Valk certainly captures the object with a light touch, doesn't he? The shell itself carries significant weight across cultures. Often viewed as a symbol of birth, regeneration, and the feminine. Editor: Yes, it has that comforting, almost womb-like shape, doesn't it? All cozy and self-contained. It makes me think about the ocean. Is it meant to convey a sense of longing, maybe? Curator: Perhaps a longing for the vastness and mystery of the sea. Note also that the spiral form is echoed across nature from galaxies to sunflowers to the inner ear. It represents growth and evolution. Editor: Interesting. For me, though, the slightly muted colors give it this air of faded memory. Like something beautiful seen long ago on a distant shore. It almost feels melancholic. Curator: That’s an astute observation. Watercolor has the property of recording history and being washed over by time and memory. These faint but specific forms serve to evoke not just this one shell, but every encounter with the shore you've ever experienced. Editor: It certainly has that evocative quality. I keep returning to it, discovering little nuances in the shading that I hadn't noticed before. A really delicate, evocative little thing. It draws you in, somehow. Curator: Van der Valk really succeeded in capturing something timeless. Thank you for offering your own impression. Editor: My pleasure, that was a great journey beneath the waves.