Gezicht op de Seine in Parijs 1856

Curator: What strikes me first about this anonymous cityscape is how light dances on the water. You can almost feel the cool air coming off the Seine. Editor: It's certainly evocative. The drawing, made with ink and possibly another material like pencil or charcoal, dating back to 1856, presents "Gezicht op de Seine in Parijs," a View of the Seine in Paris, from our collection here at the Rijksmuseum. Immediately, the horizontal composition, rigidly structured, seems intent on documenting, cataloging, almost. Curator: But is it? To me, it feels like a memory. A snapshot taken not with a camera, but from someone standing on the bridge, maybe on a gray morning just like this one. There is even a capsized boat and workers fixing other boats on the bank; perhaps there was a terrible storm recently? Or just ordinary wear and tear? It's a picture full of suggestion and mystery, no? Editor: Suggestive, yes, because the technique employed obscures some details, yet, as a formalist, I focus on what is undeniable: the contrast. The interplay of dark, sharply defined pen lines constructing buildings, then light wisps indicating the fleeting nature of clouds—note how this contrast gives volume and texture to both the cityscape and skyscape. See, too, how these buildings appear stacked against the bridge in order to convey stability while those tiny vessels represent chaos! Curator: Maybe. Or maybe they're simply getting on with their day, not a bit chaotic. What the artist captured for me is simply this feeling that the river keeps flowing, regardless of what's happening around it—on it, under it. It's a steady pulse. A continuity. Maybe they focused on these contrasts to evoke that deep understanding! The drawing captures that feeling that the buildings lining the Seine will outlive everyone. Editor: In many ways, the use of monochromatic color helps unify this contrast as it suggests something timeless! I would imagine others may wish to view this historical rendering on their next trip through our galleries here! Curator: Absolutely, and may we all be so lucky as to find such steady comfort and mystery when staring at the river; I love to imagine that time travel is as easy as losing yourself in a beautiful old piece of art such as this.