Gezicht op het Sognefjord met visplatform before 1893

Curator: Paul Lange's etching, titled "Gezicht op het Sognefjord met visplatform," dates back to before 1893. The print captures a view of the Sognefjord with a fishing platform. Editor: The starkness of the monochrome palette gives it a somewhat desolate feel, wouldn't you say? There's a haunting quiet to the scene. The materials, print and etching, convey a sense of remoteness in time. Curator: Yes, and think about the context of its production and dissemination. Prints like these circulated widely, shaping perceptions of Norway within broader European society, romanticizing, perhaps, the labor of its people. Editor: Absolutely. The fishing platform is meticulously rendered – it really foregrounds the tools and methods of their work, which appears quite arduous given the landscape and lack of mechanization. Curator: It's also important to consider that landscapes, like this, are never neutral. The choice of perspective, the inclusion of particular elements – here, the emphasis on a very active use of this terrain – all reflect underlying cultural and social narratives. The etching gives off a hyperrealistic feeling, in that regard, where a scene of an occupied, yet wild terrain presents new industrial methods as well. Editor: True. I mean, even the materiality speaks volumes – an etching allows for detailed reproduction, democratizing access to these idyllic scenes but at a cost, you see only one tone here and therefore a limited sensory understanding of this place. Curator: Precisely. By reproducing images of a relatively inaccessible region in a readily accessible form, artists such as Lange contributed to shaping and mediating Norway’s image on a European stage. The way they used etching served a commercial purpose. Editor: A complicated mix of admiration and exploitation, if you ask me. A celebration of human ingenuity in the face of raw nature while commodifying the same thing through a mass medium. It also removes labor from the subject. Curator: Indeed. An interesting piece with more to unpack than first meets the eye. Editor: For sure. It brings both industry and land together with just the right sense of historical record, the type of piece one always feels could convey so much more than what is readily accessible at first.