Koorstoel 1837 - 1839

Editor: Today, we’re looking at “Koorstoel,” created between 1837 and 1839 by Léon Auguste Asselineau. It’s an etching – a black and white print, really – of a choir stall. I’m struck by the intricate detail of the carvings. How do you read a piece like this, with its deliberate attempt to evoke an almost medieval aesthetic? Curator: Well, isn't it like stepping into a dusty old church, bathed in filtered light? For me, Asselineau isn't just showing us a chair; he's giving us a portal. Think about the fascination with the medieval period during the Romantic era. It was all about escaping the cold, hard realities of industrialisation and finding solace in what they saw as a more spiritual and authentic past. That ornate detail… it's not just decoration; it's a visual poem yearning for a bygone age. Do you see the way he's rendered the shadows? Editor: Yes, there’s definitely a romanticized view of the past at play here, not necessarily how the period really was. I see what you mean about the shadows – they feel quite theatrical, actually. Curator: Exactly! It is all about theatre. Art is often like holding a mirror up to your own beliefs or projecting some kind of fantasy. Art historians often use prints and drawings like this one to better understand the culture, craftsmanship, furniture or garments, or buildings of a specific time. Asselineau isn’t so much capturing an object, but is creating a longing for the Middle Ages, but more idealised. Perhaps also the possibility to 'return' to it by representing and circulating these places and objects to a wide audience via the medium of print. Makes you think, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. I'd always considered prints to be reproductive media. It is good to see how much can still be found in an image and how powerful of an aesthetic the 'old' can be.