Straatgezicht in Gênes 1850 - 1940

Curator: What a captivating cityscape. This is "Straatgezicht in Gênes", or "Street View in Genoa", an etching and engraving by Gabrielle-Marie Niel, dating somewhere between 1850 and 1940. Editor: It has such a romantic, almost gothic feel to it, doesn't it? That dramatic aqueduct looming over the scene, the cobblestone street leading into shadow... I feel like I’ve stumbled into a secret. Curator: The aqueduct is quite striking. It speaks volumes about the infrastructure of the city, the way public works became defining features of urban life and, by extension, subjects of artistic interest. Think of Piranesi and his views of Rome. Editor: Right, but here, Niel is using that grand structure, almost weaponizing it as a design element. Look how it dwarves the inhabitants! Makes you wonder about progress and its impact. Like, is she celebrating the aqueduct, or hinting at the way it overshadows the individual? Curator: That's the tension inherent in so many of these cityscapes, isn't it? The urban environment is both enabling and oppressive. Niel is working within established traditions of printmaking and Romanticism. But her inclusion of social details—the figures on the street, the slightly dilapidated buildings—these ground it in a particular reality. Editor: Exactly. Those figures seem to blend into the scene; they become one with the textures of the buildings. Are they even people, or just shadows? It raises some fundamental questions. What constitutes a portrait? How are we, as individuals, situated within public space? Curator: Printmaking as a medium inherently democratizes art. It creates multiples, making art more accessible to the wider public, literally putting it on the street. Editor: Almost mirroring how we experience public space as fluid and multifaceted. The etching, the street itself – both invite mass participation. I wonder what Niel hoped people would feel when encountering it. Curator: Well, hopefully a similar mix of awe and questioning that we're experiencing now. It's a scene that stays with you, I think. Editor: Definitely. It makes you ponder the very nature of city living and who defines it.