Vue de la ville de Stavanger en Norvège 1788 - 1792

Curator: Well, hello there! Let's plunge into this scene. What catches your eye right away? Editor: So, this is "Vue de la ville de Stavanger en Norvège," a watercolor and aquatint print by Georg Haas from around 1788-1792. The first thing that strikes me is the dreamy quality – it’s very serene, almost like a memory. What do you see in this piece, looking at it with fresh eyes? Curator: Dreamy is perfect! I get lost in the wisps of the clouds, don’t you? It is romantic isn't it! I wonder about Haas's hands, how he blended the ink to create this illusion, inviting me, you to journey to Stavanger. I would wager to say that he was thinking of things other than Norway, maybe childhood! How else can this be? Editor: I suppose the details. Look at that tiny bridge and those teeny buildings! But why go to such great lengths for small portions? Curator: It’s as if he wants us to meditate on that which might pass us by if we hurry. Slow down, dear one, he is saying. Editor: You're right! I can see that Haas captured this small town in his own way. Do you think people reacted the same way back then as we do now? Curator: It's difficult to really be sure about what viewers would really think, and the context, the meaning for them. Though I’d love to imagine them pausing, much like us, finding something calming and quietly hopeful in the Stavanger view, eh? I wonder what the oldtimers did with their lives.. So thanks for seeing the world through different eyes with me for awhile. I can be such a fool... Editor: Absolutely! Thank you; I am now paying attention to these small beautiful things. What a way to explore artwork, a town, life...and especially with your creative interpretations.