Gevel van een pand 1849 - 1895

Curator: So, here we have Willem Koekkoek's pencil drawing, "Gevel van een pand," dating roughly between 1849 and 1895. It’s a quick sketch, part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It feels... unfinished, like a memory trying to surface. The lines are so delicate, barely there. Almost ethereal, though it depicts something quite solid: a building facade. Curator: Indeed. As an iconographer, what speaks to you through the image of a facade? Editor: The facade itself is a mask. We present to the world this carefully constructed face. In Koekkoek’s drawing, the lack of detail perhaps speaks to the idea that appearances are just that: a surface that barely hints at the reality within. The almost hesitant pencil lines make it even more evocative, it is like he is drawing a fleeting moment of reality. Curator: Fascinating! The artist was a master of realistic cityscapes, so this more impressionistic style feels like a window into his process. Or maybe he felt he wanted to try a landscape approach for a city draw. There's almost a haunting quality, wouldn't you agree? The ladder seems to go nowhere, almost a reminder of life being only vertical climb and descent with no further gain... I could almost laugh or cry looking at it! Editor: Yes, the ladder is odd, a strange intrusion on an otherwise ordinary street scene. But it makes you consider. Is it a symbol of aspiration? A rickety climb to something...unattainable? Also it adds this architectural interest into the structure of this wall. It’s intriguing how the artist incorporates a ladder as something natural into the daily scenario in his realistic composition. It becomes not only his tool, but ours. Curator: Well, the sketch makes the most everyday scene seem so mysterious and I think that's wonderful! We end up projecting ourselves in. Thank you so much for sharing your insights today, truly! Editor: My pleasure! The symbolism of the façade and the fleeting quality, it really makes you consider about how people look back to memories and interpret them according to our culture. Always fascinating to remember our collective experiences.