Boomgaard 1820 - 1872

Editor: So, this is "Boomgaard," a drawing by Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer, dating from between 1820 and 1872. It's made with pencil, ink, and pen on paper and it has the feel of a landscape sketch...it's very raw, I think. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a moment captured—an interaction between the cultivated and the wild. These old orchards were often spaces where different social classes might intersect, perhaps providing fruit for the wealthy but tended by laborers. Look at the contrast in the rendering of the trees: that very deliberately marked trunk juxtaposed against the free, almost chaotic rendering of the branches. What do you make of that visual tension? Editor: It's like the tree is both a solid, reliable presence and also, in its branches, reaching and almost uncontrollable. Does the tension you mention have anything to do with industrialization perhaps? The way nature changes during the rise of industrialism. Curator: Exactly! It makes me think about how industrialization impacted the view of land ownership, and of labour, at that time. In sketches like this, what is omitted can be just as important as what is shown. Consider the buildings suggested in the background. How might they further inform our reading of the orchard space? Editor: Good point. They are barely defined. Just hinted at with rectangular shapes. If they are part of a homestead, they could tell about those that lived and worked the land. It’s definitely more than *just* a simple tree sketch. Curator: Right, it speaks to labour, land, and how we categorize our surroundings. And perhaps to power. Looking closely, this landscape reminds us that there are rarely pure, untouched spaces. They're always marked by social relations and labour. What will you take away from your viewing experience today? Editor: I am seeing it as a record of cultural exchange and historical issues in agricultural and societal terms! Thanks. Curator: Absolutely, that's what makes these glimpses into the past so relevant and important today.