De Pisse Vache 1812 - 1858

Curator: Look at this landscape print, titled "De Pisse Vache." It's attributed to Floris May and is dated somewhere between 1812 and 1858. What are your immediate impressions? Editor: Well, "Pisse Vache," eh? That translates to "Cow's Piss." Charming! The texture is wonderful; the details really emerge out of the light. A wildness, too, I sense an invitation to the sublime. Curator: That raw natural element comes through so well. Notice how May captures the power of that waterfall tumbling down the cliff face. The print uses an engraving technique and this kind of depiction definitely draws from the visual language of Romanticism. Editor: Absolutely, this dance of light and dark. The engraving really emphasizes the rocky face, creating an almost brutal texture, with the water a symbol of natural purification, or maybe just relentless erosion. Do you see a potential nod towards the sublime with this juxtaposition of elements? Curator: Definitely the contrast. Think about how the waterfall seems to erupt from this mass. This contrast probably aims for that feeling of awe. And if we focus on the waterfall, the continuous movement downward could symbolize time flowing inexorably towards an end, the weight of eternity. Editor: Yes, that pull... And yet the trees cling on. Symbols of resilience! It's fascinating to think of it appearing in what seems to be some sort of youth magazine... what sort of impact did such intense imagery have on the youth of the time? Was this kind of image just an illustration or did it act as some sort of emblem, too? Curator: A bit of both, perhaps? Romanticism wasn't afraid of exploring powerful emotions and the awe-inspiring force of nature could teach certain moral lessons, that is something that probably the young people of the time were meant to think about while looking at this print. Editor: It has this elemental, almost primordial feeling that I think still speaks to us today. Thanks for pointing it out! Curator: It really highlights the dialogue between ourselves and nature's symbolic force, even now. A landscape like this always has so much to teach.