Curatorial notes
Curator: Kees Stoop created "Granaatappel," or "Pomegranate," in 1979. This image is a fascinating etching with engraving, utilizing both ink and print techniques. What stands out to you initially? Editor: Well, it's stark. All those thin lines creating this wintry, almost desolate tree… except then you notice the pomegranate and this... apparition of a bird hovering above. It's unsettling, but also captivating. Curator: Unsettling is a good word. Stoop’s works often explore this tension between natural beauty and an underlying sense of unease. He was particularly interested in themes of transience, something he subtly weaves in with that bare tree meeting ripened fruit. Editor: So, it's about capturing a moment, like the cusp of change? I get that. Pomegranates themselves are loaded with symbolism - fertility, abundance... but here, alone on the branch, it also suggests vulnerability. What is this piece trying to say about the politics of our landscape? Curator: Good question. Stoop was living in a time when industrialization was rapidly changing the Dutch landscape. He subtly comments on this delicate balance between nature and this modern life through stark landscapes. In art spaces during the 70's, figuration served as subtle reminder to be self critical as it developed into a strong genre. Editor: I am really enjoying these fine lines. They are detailed, and there is some playfulness. And I really like the bird figure in the composition that really balances the heavy-looking fruit on the right-hand side of the drawing. Curator: I agree. Stoop has always understood and has respected the composition. Overall the artwork invites the observer to consider our ever fragile interaction with nature. The detail creates a very beautiful piece, worth of a deep reflection. Editor: Yes, its beauty lingers. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure.