Laan langs het Dronkemanshuisje, Haarlem c. 1765 - 1780

Curator: Just look at the intricacy of this piece! Cornelis van Noorde's "Laan langs het Dronkemanshuisje, Haarlem," a print combining drawing and etching techniques, dates from about 1765 to 1780. What’s your first impression? Editor: Immediately, I feel drawn into this little world. It's like a stage set, slightly tilted towards genre painting, though veiled by the realism that captures an air of faded glory or perhaps just plain weariness, don’t you think? Curator: Weariness perhaps, but it is an intimate glance at Haarlem, at its character and daily life. What draws you to that feeling? Editor: Well, observe how he’s portrayed people and activities in the image. The inebriated wanderer, for one, feels very deliberately placed. There's an underlying comment on social dynamics within what feels like a well-rehearsed Dutch tableau. Note the dark, brooding shadows near the 'Dronkemanshuisje'; it's hard not to read it as symbolizing something less literal than a mere building, don’t you agree? Curator: True, though perhaps we are reading too much into it. Van Noorde certainly depicts daily life, so maybe a building called the 'Dronkemanshuisje' was just that! A slightly down-at-heel pub? Editor: That's the magic, isn’t it? It operates on several levels. There's this visible world but underneath, a play of symbols and connotations that are very powerful, perhaps beyond a single intent. Think about the trees, the posture of each character. Each conveys narrative that builds beyond surface appearances. Curator: I can agree that everything pulls in different directions at once. It evokes realism, and Baroque and genre paintings. I always saw him just cataloging life around him. Editor: And in that cataloging, isn't he also choosing what and how to remember it? An interesting thing to contemplate here, as we move into another gallery.