Abgegatterte spitzbogige Kanalbrücke, rechts eine Windmühle, links in einem Kahn zwei Angler 

Editor: Here we have "Abgegatterte spitzbogige Kanalbrücke, rechts eine Windmühle, links in einem Kahn zwei Angler" - I can't even pronounce it properly - by Anthonie van Borssom. It’s hard to pin down when exactly it was created, but it's held at the Städel Museum. It looks like a watercolour and ink drawing with coloured pencil. The scene feels so peaceful and serene to me, almost melancholic. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, the impossible-to-pronounce titles! For me, this drawing sings a quiet song of the Dutch Golden Age, doesn't it? Van Borssom captures the stillness, the gentle light on the water. Look at how the broken bridge, almost haphazard, is juxtaposed against the steady turning of the windmill in the distance. There's a certain… imperfection, a humanness to it that I find profoundly touching. Does it feel almost photographic in its naturalism, but softened by memory, perhaps? Editor: Absolutely! That "imperfect" bridge really stands out. It’s like a detail caught on film that you wouldn't necessarily arrange in a painting. But I guess that’s a “drawing”. Curator: It begs the question, doesn't it? What is "real"? Van Borssom isn’t just showing us a landscape; he’s inviting us into a specific moment, a particular feeling of calm. Do you feel the air is still and expectant like just before a rain? Notice how the Indian ink is used to bring light through the muted pallete, yet everything retains a gentle somber atmosphere. That old bridge in need of repair could symbolize anything really. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way – this feeling, this atmosphere created through imperfect realism is quite thought-provoking. Curator: It whispers, rather than shouts, doesn’t it? That’s the beauty of van Borssom and his contemporaries. Now you will begin to discover how drawing itself helps us appreciate the world's rich and simple atmosphere. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll certainly look at Dutch Golden Age landscapes with new eyes now!