Gebouwen met schoorstenen 1959 - 1979

Curator: The sparseness is really quite striking, isn’t it? There’s a rawness in this drawing that holds my attention. Editor: I agree. We are looking at "Gebouwen met schoorstenen," or "Buildings with Chimneys," created between 1959 and 1979 by Rein Dool. The Rijksmuseum houses this piece which employs ink in both drawing and etching techniques. Curator: And the socio-political climate of that period is key. The post-war industrial landscape, particularly in the Netherlands, was undergoing rapid change. Drawings such as these, often overlooked, show a deliberate engagement with working-class spaces that reflected themes of recovery and social reconstruction. Editor: Indeed, yet consider the composition itself: the high horizon line pushing down on the structures, the insistent linearity of the etching emphasizing the angularity and repetitive forms of the buildings. The very materiality of the ink, thinly applied, contributes to the drawing's understated power. It’s almost melancholic, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Precisely! These weren't simply buildings; they were statements. Industrialization, for all its promises, also came with societal displacement. Dool isn’t celebrating progress blindly; he's capturing the ambiguous essence of a changing world. Editor: One could even read a certain symbolism into those chimneys, towering and perhaps ominous, against the pale sky. They function almost as minimalist markers of human endeavor, abstracted to near-geometric forms. The contrasting textures achieved with such economy—hatching and cross-hatching, lend it significant depth. Curator: That's a compelling observation. The drawing prompts us to consider what price society pays in the name of advancement, inviting a necessary reflection on our present moment, too. Editor: It really is a masterful study in contrasts and simplicity, urging a slow, considered viewing.