Illuminatie van het stadhuis voor Willem V en Wilhelmina van Pruisen, 1768 1769

Editor: So, here we have Simon Fokke’s "Illuminatie van het stadhuis voor Willem V en Wilhelmina van Pruisen, 1768," created around 1769. It’s ink and pencil on paper, capturing a cityscape scene. It strikes me as almost dreamlike with the muted tones and fantastical lighting. What stands out to you most in this work? Curator: Ah, Fokke. This piece shimmers, doesn’t it? It makes me think about spectacle and performance. Imagine the event itself—the sheer audacity of lighting up an entire city hall! It's not just about the illumination; it's about power, visibility. I see a deliberate act of stagecraft. The tiny figures almost look like actors on a grand stage. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. So, the rendering is capturing both a real historical event and also this sense of manufactured image-making? Curator: Precisely! How do we perform our history? What aspects do we choose to illuminate – quite literally? It's like history painting, but instead of portraying heroes on the battlefield, it celebrates… well, architecture and social power. This image makes me question if anything is “real.” Think of the Rococo era as a grand party—where appearances and symbolism are everything. Is that roof shimmering because of its own virtue or from being artificially lit? It all boils down to what resonates within us; some see celebration, while I’m always tickled by questioning. Editor: That really changes how I see it. Initially, it was just a pretty picture, but thinking about it as constructed and questioning reality really adds a whole new layer. Thanks for sharing that perspective! Curator: The pleasure’s all mine. Sometimes the most delightful art pieces whisper, "Don't believe everything you see," and wink at the same time. Always look beneath the veneer; that’s where the juicy bits are!