The Large Rock at the River 1621 - 1675

Curator: Welcome! Before us is “The Large Rock at the River,” a landscape etching and woodcut, created sometime between 1621 and 1675, by Allart van Everdingen. Editor: Immediately striking is the dark, almost brooding mood. The stark contrasts between light and shadow certainly command attention; the rock seems to loom ominously. Curator: Indeed. Consider the compositional strategies at play. The mass of the rock is positioned slightly off-center, directing the eye from left to right, thus framing the river receding into the distance. It is the very archetype of sublime wilderness. Editor: Precisely. One cannot overlook the technical execution; that combination of etching and woodcut— what would now be seen as "low art", lends a distinctive texture. Note the varied linework and how it brings the rock to life and contrasts it to the flat quality of the sky. Curator: And how the density of the line mimics depth? See how van Everdingen uses the absence of line to show us atmospheric effects in the upper-left? He's really emphasizing light. This also draws out organic quality which gives rise to feelings of serenity and introspection for those viewing the landscape scene depicted by the artwork, such a striking example of Baroque sensibility. Editor: Agreed, although I find the roughness and darkness rather unsettling. Surely, too, we must account for the labour involved? Van Everdingen’s work here involved careful carving into wood, coating the medium, the careful work required to impress each print, thus moving the locus of evaluation to craft. Curator: Yet, it is also very much the picturesque view! That is, carefully arranged to appeal to educated sensibilities. To appreciate nature as a construct, a composition—a formal arrangement that reveals meaning beyond its simple depiction. Editor: That’s certainly a fair assessment, yet viewing the artist’s manipulation of physical properties also yields critical insight. Well, a productive dichotomy if I do say so myself. Curator: Yes, I think our exchange allows for a wider, more thorough appreciation.