Gezicht op Paramaribo 1718 - 1791

Curator: I’m struck by the sharp contrast of dark lines against the light background. The ships seem to bear the weight of the world. Editor: This engraving, titled "Gezicht op Paramaribo," offers a bird's-eye view of Paramaribo, or Nieuw Middelburg, in the colony of Suriname. It's unsigned, currently credited to an anonymous artist, and thought to originate somewhere between 1718 and 1791. The work is currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: The perspective places us, the viewer, as almost colonial powers gazing down, complicit even, wouldn't you say? What narratives does it obscure about the people who lived there before and during colonization? Editor: Indeed. It's important to acknowledge the engraving's place within the Dutch Golden Age, a period of immense artistic achievement but also intense colonial activity. Prints like these weren’t merely decorative; they played a role in shaping public perception and reinforcing colonial ambitions. The inscription held by cherubs seems to say that it is, literally, an "Accurate en originele afbeeldinge", while of course the perspective is skewed to power dynamics. Curator: Right, the illusion of accuracy legitimizes what is inherently an act of appropriation and power. Note how the cityscape seems almost like a European settlement transplanted, and what's lost in that projection? Editor: That's a keen point. It shows the effort to impose a European order, erasing or suppressing Indigenous identities and cultures, obscuring also the forced labor and exploitation that sustained the colony. Curator: Exactly, and it highlights the critical responsibility we have as viewers today to engage with historical art not just aesthetically, but with critical consciousness, unearthing the layers of power and resistance. Editor: A consciousness which in itself is crucial when dealing with colonial artifacts: thinking how artworks ended up in this collection in the first place and the many questions they arise, or try to hide. Thank you for that insight.