Een geestelijk Kers-Lied 1831 - 1854

Curator: Right, so here we have "Een geestelijk Kers-Lied," a print dating from around 1831-1854, made by Erve H. Rynders. It’s housed here at the Rijksmuseum. At first glance, it almost reminds me of an elaborate, slightly off-kilter storyboard for a Nativity play. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It feels…almost dreamlike. The scenes seem to blend together, and the colors are muted yet somehow striking. The perspective is also fascinating. How do you interpret the choice to present the narrative in this segmented way, instead of a more straightforward depiction? Curator: I think that segmented feel gets right to the heart of how narratives operated back then. We weren't seeking photographic realism so much as symbolic representation. Rynders gives us these sequential vignettes – the Annunciation, the journey, the Nativity – more like panels from a medieval altarpiece freed from the constraints of the church! What about the folk-art elements? How do they speak to you? Editor: The figures definitely have a folk art vibe, almost like wood carvings come to life. Curator: Precisely. And don’t miss how Rynders blends high and low art. You've got the biblical narrative treated with a certain reverence, but there’s also a kind of charming naivety in the rendering, especially with the perspective. Is it a complex commentary on faith, perhaps a touch of satire, or just the artist's own whimsical take? Perhaps, all. Editor: So, the artist isn’t necessarily striving for perfect realism but aiming for a different type of storytelling. I now feel like I better understand the blending and fragmentation and that really ties in with it being a folk song that you are literally meant to piece together for yourself. Curator: Exactly! It’s less about perfect rendering and more about capturing the *essence* of the Christmas story, engaging the viewer in its re-telling. Something beautiful to keep reflecting on.