Kerk met één toren 1845 - 1891

Curator: Here we have Johannes Bosboom's pencil drawing, "Church with One Tower," which he worked on at some point between 1845 and 1891. It's part of the Rijksmuseum collection. What are your first impressions? Editor: Intimacy, really. Despite depicting a large, imposing structure like a church, the loose pencil strokes give it a feeling of fragility, like a half-remembered dream or a whispered secret. Curator: The unfinished quality is indeed striking. Architectural drawings, especially of churches, often symbolize permanence and divine order. But here, the ephemeral nature of the pencil medium undercuts that sense of solidity. Editor: Absolutely. It's less about the grandiosity of the church itself, and more about Bosboom’s personal interaction with the scene. The light seems to seep through the buildings like rain. It evokes feelings of loneliness, or introspection…like he’s finding God in the mundane. Curator: Yes, the muted tones and sketch-like style avoid any hint of grandiosity. Instead, we focus on the texture of the stonework and the way the light catches on the spire. Bosboom captures the spirit, the atmosphere of the place, as much as the physical details. The steeple and tower of this sacred space are grounding yet also possess an airy, upward quality. Editor: Almost like an ascent of the soul depicted as an architectural element. One wonders if Bosboom were perhaps working through grief, longing, or a loss of faith here. The work seems haunted, doesn't it? Like the faintest outline of a ghost on aged parchment. Curator: I think that’s insightful. By stripping away the rigid precision often found in architectural renderings, Bosboom allows for a deeply personal and contemplative experience for the viewer. He connects us to the quietude that resides in such spaces. Editor: So beautifully put! I think I appreciate its simplicity even more now. The rough sketches and the light pencil lead evoke an experience. An encounter and interpretation over any objective view of some physical structure. Curator: Agreed. It’s less about what he saw, and more about what he felt. Editor: Exactly, and as an image of faith or loss of faith, or doubt, it seems strikingly contemporary to me, so many years later. Thank you, this one truly resonated!