Gezicht op de waterval van Gelten 1763 - 1785

Curator: This work, dating roughly between 1763 and 1785, is entitled "Gezicht op de waterval van Gelten" or "View of the Gelten Waterfall" by Charles Melchior Descourtis. Editor: My initial impression is one of sublime drama. The waterfall dominates the scene, and the delicate use of watercolor gives a sense of mist and overwhelming power. Curator: Indeed. Descourtis has employed watercolor and drawing techniques to capture this landscape, straddling the Neoclassical and Romantic periods, we see elements of both. It shows the early tourist industry, of conquering landscapes but also exploiting them. We must recall what this meant for labor in that area. Editor: I’m particularly drawn to how Descourtis uses light and shadow to emphasize the contrast between the turbulent water and the solidity of the rocks. This seems intentional, doesn’t it, playing on the established symbolism of water as powerful, even destructive? I see that repeated, common imagery of travellers trying to scale up the top! Curator: I'd agree. Those figures are vital to consider as well, to me they symbolize production in and around the industrialization era. The people and the animals illustrate not only the grand scale of the scene, but also a visual tension present here. They’re not passively enjoying nature, are they, but actively extracting or travelling through it. How many goods are transported using this route? And is this accessible only to an elite group? Editor: An interesting viewpoint, definitely. While, perhaps those travellers indicate our continuous quest of man versus nature, something of an idealization in line with the philosophy of Romanticism! Curator: Possibly! Though there is always a darker side of art making that can also show our economic realities in the past. This is what is so useful about studying the making of things like drawings or paintings. Editor: I am inclined to accept both points here. The beauty of art is how it means differently, based on context, after all. What a fruitful reminder to me of how history lives within images, and within all processes behind image-making!