Koninklijk park bij Paleis Het Loo 1890 - 1900

Curator: Looking at this engraving, titled "Koninklijk park bij Paleis Het Loo" made sometime between 1890 and 1900 by Noach van der Waals, I’m immediately struck by its sort of melancholic charm. There’s a stillness, almost a hush, that emanates from the scene. Editor: Yes, it does have a rather… muted energy, doesn't it? But that is pretty common for works created using engraving as their technique. I'm wondering if this aesthetic served a purpose: the printing press changed how art functioned in society; it provided a means to communicate a specific idea or cultural perspective to the masses, particularly among a rising middle class. Curator: Interesting point! Maybe its subdued nature offers a peacefulness meant for contemplation or... well, considering how manic society got not too long after, this sort of serene scene seems like a relic now. It’s all carefully composed and quiet... perhaps signaling something we are soon about to lose? The different areas seem very... separated. Disconnected almost? Editor: You're noticing the almost postcard-like layout of the engraving? These discrete little scenes all stitched together? In this regard, it provides an image not of a single vista or place, but almost an itemized impression of the royal grounds. Curator: Exactly! And the architectural structure seems to loom in the lower left—protected by the forest and... that little lake down below. Editor: This is genre painting utilizing landscape as subject; it served as both an aspirational scene, as well as provided the rising burgeoise with a template and philosophy for how to think of Nature as something to manage. What to let in, and keep out. The printing press became a powerful medium for communicating and codifying values of taste in art, interior decoration and gardening, as examples. Curator: Makes sense. Maybe these engravings were supposed to offer a glimpse, to invite us into their perfectly structured world... I find myself craving something raw though! You know, the kind of wilderness that refuses to be tamed... Editor: Well, raw nature has never made a particularly good model for governance! Thank you, that’s been insightful.