Voet van de Montelbaanstoren, bij avond 1870 - 1923

Curator: What a mood. I get this intense feeling of isolation just looking at it. It's like the world is holding its breath. Editor: We’re currently observing Willem Witsen’s “Voet van de Montelbaanstoren, bij avond,” or "Foot of the Montelbaan Tower at Evening". It's hard to put a precise date on it, sometime between 1870 and 1923, rendered in watercolor. And it certainly captures a particular atmosphere. Curator: Yes! I think it's that subdued palette, almost monochromatic. It pulls all the other towers and architecture into the gloom with the Montelbaanstoren. Like everything is being swallowed by this watery darkness. Editor: It speaks to a sense of monumentality despite the medium. Towers traditionally are symbols of power, of course, even masculine assertion – but here it feels less like a statement of strength and more like… watchful endurance. Curator: I get that. It's softened, right? By the watercolor, by the evening, by the overall lack of sharp definition. Instead, there's a real presence, that historical memory you mention. It reminds us of countless generations having looked upon it. It takes on an emotional resonance – more of an empathetic observer of Amsterdam's story, through all of its triumphs and misfortunes. Editor: Absolutely. And in a way, this resonates with the Impressionistic sensibility Witsen embodies. There's that dedication to the fleeting moment, a single glimpse—captured, if ever so gently, with this artistic, dreamlike state that echoes the soul of the tower itself. Curator: Well, it's definitely a piece that stays with you. It is this silent, evocative dialogue about permanence and change. Editor: It's given me pause; made me reconsider the tower as more than just an architectural statement. Food for thought, certainly.