Bretons kustlandschap met kliffen 1928

Curator: Lodewijk Schelfhout’s "Bretons kustlandschap met kliffen," a 1928 etching now residing at the Rijksmuseum. My initial impression is of starkness, a craggy coastline rendered in very definite, almost brutal lines. Editor: Brutal is a good word. I immediately key into the material conditions necessary to produce such a stark image. This etching requires acid, metal plates, careful tooling—it is an image born of intense labor. Curator: Labor indeed. Notice how the image uses symbolic geometric shapes, from the triangular cliffs to the tiny structures perched upon the horizon, which suggests stability and a long connection to this particular place. Editor: It's compelling how he makes the labor of both nature and man evident, setting sharp cliff faces next to the buildings dotting the top. Consider the act of living, of persisting, within this difficult landscape. It invites contemplation of Breton identity and the community created. Curator: And what is that single sailboat? Is it going to connect people to trade routes or keep people separated and isolated on this small cliff? Editor: Yes, the sail itself holds the symbolism for a place on the periphery—an opportunity for commerce, the hard labor of shipping, a symbol of independence. Consider also, the paper that becomes the ultimate support for this work; it would have been costly and valued at that time, even with the mass printing technologies gaining prevalence in 1928. Curator: I think I will see the sea in this piece every time I remember those cliff faces towering over everything. Thank you. Editor: Indeed. An etching is such a good material for expressing sharp division and separation but I am struck that you are reminded of water while you see an etching of cliffs.