Lijst van tekeningen van de watersnood van 1809 door Cornelis van Hardenbergh 1809

Editor: Here we have "List of Drawings of the Flood of 1809 by Cornelis van Hardenbergh," created in 1809. It's an ink drawing on paper, and it’s categorized as history painting and landscape. The entire sheet of paper seems to be filled with elegant script. What's your take on it? Curator: It’s fascinating how this work documents a specific historical event, the flood of 1809, through the personal lens of van Hardenbergh. As a historian, I immediately look at how such events were documented and disseminated in that era. Consider the limitations of photography at the time; drawings like these served as crucial visual records for public understanding and memory. Editor: So, you see this piece as more than just art. Curator: Precisely. It speaks to the sociopolitical role of art. It provided visual evidence that shaped public discourse surrounding the disaster, serving a documentary function before the advent of widespread photography. Did this artwork get used for further reproductions and distribution to reach the broader public? Editor: I would imagine so! Also, it looks like some passages of the handwritten script describe different elements and numbers of what are perhaps individual panels for the overall artwork… I see references to "Dalem" and "Kedichem". It provides unique insight. What did you glean from it? Curator: Note how the artist meticulously labeled different sections. The inclusion of place names situates the viewer within the landscape and implicates the impact of this disaster in very real ways on local populations. These details reveal much about the intent to accurately depict and disseminate information but also to preserve historical memory of this tragic event. What did you think of the overall layout and the handwriting? Editor: It feels very intimate and almost scientific with how the text blends seamlessly with the landscape details. This blend almost collapses art and scientific data. Curator: I think we both walked away seeing the way art serves to document events, reflecting public roles in very unique ways!