Boten bij een aanlegsteiger 1890 - 1946

Curator: Cornelis Vreedenburgh created this landscape around the turn of the century. It's called "Boats at a Landing Stage" and is an etching and pencil sketch on paper, now residing at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's dreamy, almost ethereal, with these light pencil strokes suggesting more than they actually show. It feels unfinished in a way that invites the viewer in. You can almost feel the stillness of the water and the creaks of the boats tied to the pier. Curator: The materiality speaks to me of accessibility, and maybe urgency; pencil on paper suggests a preparatory study, something immediate and reproducible. Its modest format and understated medium also speaks to the rise of impressionism. There’s an emphasis on capturing a fleeting moment. Editor: Exactly! I wonder about the workers who used these boats, were they fishermen? Merchants? There’s a story implied in their absent presence – a quiet industry. Curator: It evokes ideas around leisure too, doesn't it? These scenes were often consumed as postcards and illustrations. Note that the means of reproducing them was very much linked to burgeoning tourist markets. I imagine how that pier, now likely concrete, would have been made and managed. The types of pencils used then, their source… fascinating. Editor: Fascinating and slightly distracting. For me, the soft greys speak directly to my soul. It feels melancholic yet strangely hopeful. It makes me think about departures and arrivals. Curator: Material and the socio-economic landscape created the work – that is, its value beyond mere aesthetics! Editor: Well, I see both. Thanks for sharing insights on its creation and market! Curator: Thanks, an unexpected turn into feelings and subjectivity on my part as well.