Pantserschip Hr. Ms. Stier in de haven van Den Helder 1890 - 1903

Editor: This gelatin silver print by Willem Frederik Boelsums, dating from around 1890 to 1903, is titled "Pantserschip Hr. Ms. Stier in de haven van Den Helder." The tonality gives it a very sepia feel. I’m particularly drawn to how the textures of the ship, the water, and the city blend. What do you see in this piece from a formal perspective? Curator: Precisely. Focusing on its formal elements, consider how Boelsums orchestrates depth. The foreground is dominated by the tangible—a worker, chains, a cart—all sharply defined, leading the eye towards the subject, the warship. Observe how the lines of the ship itself create a complex pattern. Do you perceive the implied lines created by the masts reaching skyward? Editor: Yes, the masts definitely add height, contrasting with the ship's width. And the chains form this beautiful, almost chaotic pattern in the front. I hadn't noticed that implied movement. Curator: And consider the negative space between these vertical elements, how that guides our eye through the scene. Notice the city's outline barely visible in the background, almost like a continuation of the ship’s structure. How does the photographer use light to delineate these forms, separate or merge elements, do you think? Editor: I see how the diffused light creates soft transitions between forms. It almost obscures details in the background. Curator: Correct. By flattening certain planes and emphasizing texture, Boelsums achieves a certain visual tension, that adds a contemplative mood despite its industrial subject. A formalist reading reveals an intricate dance between line, texture, light and mass in its construction, setting up an intricate structure. Editor: I can certainly see how a focus on these intrinsic formal qualities provides deeper insight into this gelatin-silver-print of Boelsums. Curator: Indeed. Shifting the analytical lens this way, away from subjective narratives and external contexts, shows the picture plane as a network of intersecting formal properties.