Overstroming bij het Molenwater en de haven te Veere, 1808 1808

Editor: Here we have "Overstroming bij het Molenwater en de haven te Veere, 1808," an engraving by Izaak Jansz. de Wit, housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. It depicts a flooded cityscape; it is quite a dramatic scene. What jumps out at you when you see this print? Curator: As a materialist, I see more than just the Romantic drama. Consider the printmaking process itself. This isn't a unique artwork, but a mass-produced image. An engraving allowed for dissemination, for spreading the news—and the anxieties—related to this flood. How does that shift our understanding of the artwork's purpose and value? Editor: That’s interesting! So the act of creating multiples makes the event more broadly accessible and, perhaps, relatable? It’s less about the artist’s individual vision, and more about communicating a shared experience? Curator: Precisely! Think about the engraver's labor, meticulously carving lines into the metal plate. What kind of workshop might De Wit have operated? Were there assistants? Apprentices? The print represents not just the flood, but also a specific mode of artisanal production embedded in a local economy. Editor: So it gives clues to economic networks too, and we are reminded that the artist and his shop existed in that network. How does the fact that it's a cityscape of a flooded area add to that? Curator: Well, who would buy this print? Likely people connected to Veere. Maybe those affected by the flood, or those offering aid. It's a commodity circulated within a particular community, reinforcing social bonds in the face of disaster, wouldn’t you agree? And the print quality also plays a role in the pricing! Editor: I hadn’t thought about the material production and the way that feeds into community. Looking at this artwork with you really does broaden how I will perceive artworks from now on! Curator: Indeed. Now we've looked at it, hopefully everyone listening will go and delve into the physical making and use of the materials more too.