Landschap met molens 1855 - 1881

Curator: What a wonderfully understated piece. This watercolor, entitled "Landschap met molens," or "Landscape with Windmills," dates from the period 1855 to 1881, created by Coen Metzelaar. Editor: Mmm, a somber stillness about it, don't you think? The colors are so muted; it's like looking at a memory fading into the paper. Curator: I think that melancholy is largely a product of the palette; there's an incredible layering and tonal variety within a very restrained set of hues. The dominance of browns and grays against that wan sky... it speaks of transience, but also, perhaps, a sort of determined perseverance. Editor: Exactly! The mills are regimented and silhouetted on the horizon, stoic in their utility; the subtle, deliberate hand of industry, even though the artist probably worked "en plein air" capturing what they saw immediately on-site. There’s a very Dutch stoicism here. Curator: Definitely. And notice how Metzelaar utilizes the blank space of the paper itself to imply form, especially in the sky and the field. It isn't just what he paints, but also what he leaves unpainted that defines the work. Semiotically, the composition is bisected: utilitarian human architecture contrasted by nature. Editor: Yes, and the lack of vibrant colors or stark contrasts shifts the focus to the line work, and the composition’s quiet power, even poetry. The slight undulation of the horizon against that overcast sky makes me think of how landscape can also mirror one’s emotional state. Curator: And in that quiet, somewhat bleak, but also beautifully composed tableau, we find, perhaps, not just a depiction of windmills, but an intimate glimpse of the Dutch soul at that time. Editor: Beautifully put, this sketch doesn't merely show us a landscape, it invites us into one that continues to slowly rotate... the grinding presence of a past age captured with elegant fragility.