Stad met stadsmuren op een heuvel in de Provence 1943

Curator: Welcome. Today, we're looking at "City with City Walls on a Hill in Provence," a 1943 etching by Lodewijk Schelfhout, residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My immediate impression is of a fortress suspended in time, almost dreamlike. There's a stillness despite the implied activity of the figures and the architecture feels deliberately geometric. Curator: That stillness might stem from the era it was created in. The piece originates from World War II. Schelfhout, while committed to his artistic practice, would have been acutely aware of the political landscape of Europe, even while geographically removed from it. I wonder how much that awareness inflects the work. Editor: Precisely. Knowing that the work was made during the Second World War casts a long shadow. Does the city become a metaphor for resistance, a protected space against outside threats? The etching process lends itself to stark contrasts. We're clearly invited to consider how power is inscribed in our landscape. Curator: I appreciate you bringing that into the discussion. His choice of the etching technique speaks to the dissemination of information through prints in politically charged times, too. We need to remember art never exists in a vacuum. Look at the details: The lone rider, the towering tree—they frame the city, highlighting both its strength and perhaps its isolation. Editor: And I think Schelfhout consciously uses linear perspective to lead the eye into the scene, controlling how we approach the walled city and, therefore, the ideologies embedded in it. Even the deliberate absence of vibrant color amplifies this sombre undertone. Who lives within these walls? What is their experience? Curator: Such pertinent questions. Schelfhout had an awareness of history, both of the built environment and the socio-political factors that build and sometimes break them. This artwork operates almost as a historical document of European fortifications but asks vital contemporary questions as well. Editor: Ultimately, "City with City Walls on a Hill in Provence" is more than a serene landscape; it serves as a poignant reflection on how our physical surroundings are indelibly shaped by the human narrative. Curator: Thank you, both for joining and sharing your thoughts. There is so much more we could still unpack with Lodewijk Schelfhout and this beautiful example of his vision.