Roeiboten en zeilschepen op de Maas 1851 - 1902

Editor: We are looking at "Rowboats and sailing ships on the Meuse" created sometime between 1851 and 1902 by Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande, currently at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a print, an etching to be exact. It feels quite calm; all the little boats just floating there. What do you see in this piece, as a historian? Curator: Well, it presents itself as a tranquil river scene. However, looking through a historical lens, I see the Maas as a vital artery for 19th-century industrializing Europe. The presence of both sailboats and rowboats suggests a society undergoing a transition. What were the economic conditions and class structures that placed people in sailboats versus rowboats, do you think? Editor: That’s interesting, I didn't really think of that! I just noticed the peaceful aesthetic of the landscape. It really highlights how different boats fill up this open scene of the river. Curator: Exactly. And it’s through institutions like the Rijksmuseum that these landscapes were categorized and canonized. Ask yourself, what made a seemingly "realistic" landscape such as this valuable during that specific era? Who had the power to determine what art should be shown? How are political interests embedded in landscape images? Editor: So, it is a quiet etching, but it really has some socio-political context that made the boats not as calm as I initially thought. Thank you for providing that angle. Curator: Of course! And seeing through those complexities only enrich the way you’ll view more pieces, understanding art in a new and historical way.