Schetsboek met 35 bladen betekend tijdens de expeditie naar Nova Zembla in 1880 1880

Editor: This is an albumen print of a sketchbook from 1880 by Louis Apol. It seems quite aged and worn, the colours muted. What's striking to me is simply how well-worn it looks, as if carrying years of history. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's more than just wear and tear. Look closely; the stains almost become symbolic. Nova Zembla—this name itself evokes isolation, the frontier of exploration. An expedition there… that’s already loaded with the potential for suffering and perhaps, failure. Editor: So, the condition of the sketchbook is significant, beyond mere aesthetics? Curator: Precisely. The artist didn’t choose to depict a pristine, untouched scene, did they? This object becomes a powerful icon of experience, and perhaps, a certain disillusionment inherent in confronting the harsh realities of the arctic. What memories might these stains evoke in the mind of someone who participated in that expedition, decades later? Editor: That gives a whole new dimension to appreciating it; like an externalised memory! I was so focused on the basic subject, I missed the cultural and symbolic cues embedded within the object itself. Thank you for showing me that. Curator: My pleasure, it also reminded me that images speak volumes if we only learn to listen to them.