Riviermonding in zee 1900 - 1922

Curator: Before us we have a photograph titled "Riviermonding in zee," which translates to "River Mouth at Sea." It's a gelatin silver print made sometime between 1900 and 1922 by Robert Julius Boers, and currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s interesting. Immediately I get this almost ghostly vibe, like a memory fading at the edges. The sepia tones really contribute, right? It’s a hazy, quiet scene. You can almost feel the humidity. Curator: Indeed. Consider the historical context. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, landscape photography served not just as documentation but as a reflection of colonial power dynamics and romanticism, often shaping perceptions of distant lands. Editor: I see what you mean. The lack of figures gives it that "untouched paradise" feel – carefully constructed, I imagine. Like these kinds of images were definitely selling an idea of a place as much as showing it. Curator: Precisely. Early landscape photography, especially within a colonial context, often romanticized these territories, downplaying or erasing indigenous presences to promote a narrative of European discovery and control. Editor: But you know what strikes me is how…still it feels. Like a meditation almost. Which might be part of that colonial gaze, this passive, observant outsider. Does it almost flatten any sort of interaction or real presence from the photograph? Curator: That's a poignant reading. The tranquility in Boers' photograph, devoid of immediate human activity, may underscore that distance and reinforce the gaze of the colonizer onto a seemingly passive land. This contrasts greatly to how Indigenous populations lived. Editor: Absolutely. It’s weird, this calmness – it makes me question who gets to be still, who's afforded that luxury. Still, I appreciate its aesthetic, like a peaceful postcard from a troubling past. Curator: And viewing through a contemporary lens, one can appreciate how art like this can illuminate and inform discourses surrounding identity and politics within complex legacies. Editor: Yes. It gives us something to examine, something to learn and reflect upon, so the beauty is never just...easy.