Waterval te Tjiroek-Betong 1843 - 1845

Curator: Paulus Lauters created this print between 1843 and 1845. It’s titled "Waterval te Tjiroek-Betong," which translates to Waterfall at Tjiroek-Betong, and it's held here at the Rijksmuseum. What do you see when you look at this work? Editor: A moody romance novel cover! The dramatic waterfall cascading amidst the dense, detailed foliage gives it a real "gothic meets the tropics" kind of vibe. There's a softness too. Almost like a memory. Curator: It does have a distinctive romantic aesthetic, doesn't it? Lauters was working within the Romantic movement, which, during that period, celebrated nature's power and sublime beauty as an antidote to industrialization. The waterfall itself is positioned centrally, drawing your eye and reinforcing the idea of nature as a dominant force. Editor: Absolutely. And there’s almost a performative element to it all. The landscape feels a bit staged, like a theatrical backdrop—especially with those tiny figures at the bottom, adding scale. I almost feel like shouting "Bravo!" after taking a closer look at the overall drama of this scene. Curator: The figures serve a double purpose; in addition to establishing scale, they are the token human figures often included within Romantic landscapes. This placement of human presence emphasizes humanity's relationship with, and perhaps subjugation to, the grander forces of nature. In other words, these people feel minuscule within the grandeur of the scene, reinforcing that the natural world is overwhelming. Editor: I wonder what the air smells like in that image. I imagine a damp, almost earthy aroma mingled with the refreshing spray from the falls. Perhaps there are undertones of decaying leaves and ripe, unseen fruit. This print makes you wonder about something larger in its world that can't be seen, maybe more than what's there in black and white. Curator: Interesting. I see how you might be curious to imagine all of one's sensations within the space of this artwork, adding even more to its Romantic effect. Considering the historical context and Lauters’s focus on showcasing a non-European landscape, it’s also reasonable to ponder how this image shaped perceptions of distant places for European audiences back then. Editor: Well, I certainly won’t look at a waterfall the same way again, will I? I might just take this fellow’s sublime nature over a performance on the grand stage any day. Curator: And I’m glad that we considered the cultural context while celebrating the sublime, and the way Romanticism continues to appeal to contemporary senses.