Gezicht op de Abdij van Flône 1738 - 1744

Editor: This is a print from somewhere between 1738 and 1744 titled “Gezicht op de Abdij van Flône” or “View of the Abbey of Flône”. It's an engraving. I’m struck by the perspective - it's like we're viewing a stage set, everything meticulously arranged for our observation. What do you see in this piece that perhaps I'm missing? Curator: Ah, yes, the staged effect. You know, perspective in these landscapes, especially Baroque ones, always feels a little like a declaration, doesn't it? Like, “Look at what humans can achieve!” The Abbey, rendered with such precise lines, it almost feels…clinical. But then, I see that little boat bobbing along the river Meuse. Suddenly, the whole scene feels less about power, more about pilgrimage, about connecting the land with the soul. What does the location, Flône Abbey, evoke in you? Does it conjure images of monks in flowing robes? Editor: I hadn't really thought about that but now that you mention it, yes! Monks and perhaps a contemplative silence. It contrasts a bit with the very precise lines of the engraving, almost warring with each other. It also appears there is some type of shield above the abbey in the artwork? Curator: Exactly! That little detail is everything! Coats of arms in these prints often speak to patronage. So, somebody important—likely the Abbey itself!—paid to have this image made, as much about self-promotion as faithful rendering of a place. Isn’t that amusing? How a humble print is brimming with earthly aspirations. A contradiction within a contradiction, no? A sort of truth sandwiched between other agendas, no? Editor: That’s fascinating! So much more going on beneath the surface than I initially realized. I will definitely approach other art with this in mind. Curator: It is all about scratching beneath the surface, friend. Seeing with new eyes the dance of faith, place, power. Art is a stage, life, after all, as we all know, as well!