Omgewaaide boom bij Buitenlust, na de storm van 28 mei 1860 1860

Curator: It’s so odd, isn't it? Such devastation rendered with so much...tenderness? Editor: Indeed. This drawing by Hendrik Wilhelmus Last, titled "Omgewaaide boom bij Buitenlust, na de storm van 28 mei 1860," captures a scene of destruction. He’s working in a distinctly realistic style. Curator: Destruction but also strangely beautiful. This great tree just sprawled across whatever Buitenlust might have been—an inn? A country house? Whatever it was, nature took center stage. Do you see a strange asymmetry? One wonders if this signifies anything bigger. Editor: Semiotically, it presents us with a fascinating rupture. The uprooted tree, a once vertical symbol of stability, now lies horizontal, directly confronting the man-made structure behind. There is an overt shift in the power structure depicted. I cannot help but contemplate how the artist's use of the print medium to communicate a real event might give it another significance beyond simply visual appeal. Curator: Maybe he just felt the urge to remind people we're not really in control, even when we build our little Buitenlusts. Makes you think about that gnawing sensation that comes to the stomach in light of nature's whims and forces—do you ever think how small it can make us feel, in an age of overconfidence? He wasn't afraid to face such fears; maybe we are reminded now we aren't supposed to ignore these sorts of feelings, either? Editor: Last's composition compels us to confront the sheer force that can transform the familiar. Note the density of line work around the tree's fractured roots juxtaposed with the almost clinical depiction of Buitenlust. The material print preserves a very fragile record. Curator: Which feels incredibly right, doesn't it? He caught that fleeting feeling with a deft hand, I think. And you’re spot-on—what a statement about power structures and vulnerability, preserved for us. Editor: I am left here appreciating Last's careful artistry—how a somber record invites quiet reflection about the sublime intersection of power and chaos in our landscapes.