A View of Scheveningen 

Editor: This is "A View of Scheveningen," a watercolor and drawing attributed to Jules Schmalzigaug. It feels almost… unfinished. I'm fascinated by the visible grid lines underlying the washes of color. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, the interesting element is Schmalzigaug’s engagement with industrial materials through the act of artistic labor. We have what appear to be light, breezy, almost amateurish applications of watercolor, yet underlying it is this incredibly precise grid – clearly mechanically produced, a mass-produced material acting as the very armature upon which the work is built. Editor: So, you're focusing on how the grid’s presence impacts our understanding of the finished work? Curator: Exactly. Consider the social context – Schmalzigaug is working at a time when industrialization is rapidly reshaping the world. How does the inclusion, even the showcasing, of a manufactured grid, complicate or perhaps even celebrate this shift? It seems to intentionally disrupt any sense of artistic "aura" usually associated with traditional landscapes. He is almost laying bare the means of artistic production. The transparency is, perhaps, the point. Editor: That makes sense. It's like he's acknowledging the industrial underpinnings even of something as seemingly pastoral as a beach scene. So, it’s about examining how Schmalzigaug's process relates to broader social shifts around labor and production. Curator: Precisely. We’re not simply looking at an idealized “view,” but at a mediated, constructed representation that incorporates and even highlights the materials and processes of its making. Editor: This piece offers a lot more to think about than just a pretty beach scene. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for similar uses of materiality in other works. Curator: Absolutely, by examining materiality, we gain deeper insights into the context and concerns that shaped an artist's practice.