Zicht op een stadspoort before 1887

Curator: Immediately striking, isn't it? A world rendered in delicate grays. Editor: It’s muted, definitely. Gives off a rather melancholy air. I can almost feel the dampness in the air. Curator: This pen drawing on paper is entitled “Zicht op een stadspoort”, which translates to “View of a City Gate,” created by Eugène Cicéri sometime before 1887. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What do you observe about the compositions themselves? There are two. Editor: Yes, the stark contrast intrigues me. Above, we see a city gate, open and accessible, while the lower register features a bridge, overgrown and somewhat crumbling. It feels like a deliberate juxtaposition of societal structure versus nature's embrace. Note the heavy reliance on line, the careful crosshatching employed to create shading, which amplifies the somber mood... Almost as if civilization and nature are both subject to a type of melancholic decay. Curator: An interesting reading! To me, it’s as though the artist is contemplating different routes—the grand entrance to societal life, represented by the city gate, versus a quieter, more secluded path into the wilderness. It's like two chapters of the same story laid bare, side-by-side. Editor: I like that perspective. Cicéri’s mastery of the pen is undeniable here; each stroke seems perfectly placed to evoke atmosphere and texture, wouldn’t you agree? Curator: Absolutely, the linework captures a specific moment— a transient state. The scenes are not quite idealized nor purely realistic; rather, they hover somewhere in between, holding space for our interpretation. It is through its form that we recognize that realism, in essence, requires more. Editor: It almost anticipates the Symbolist movement, its reliance on feeling as truth. It speaks to a time when one finds peace by making images from everyday things. Curator: Very well said! For me, looking at this work reminds me of how even the most ordinary scenes can hold immense beauty and quiet significance, as long as you let them speak. Editor: And for me, a fascinating snapshot of an era grappling with change, questioning its structures, and finding solace in nature's enduring presence.