La Buvette 1913

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt's "La Buvette" from 1913, an etching now residing in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. What impressions rise to meet you? Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by how dreamlike it is. It’s blurry around the edges and the textures—stone, wood, fabric— all seem to bleed together. It's like a half-remembered story from a distant, grainy film. There's a gentle nostalgia in it, a melancholy for a place unseen, and a time unlived. Curator: Indeed, Nordfeldt captures a palpable sense of place here. "Buvette" signifies a refreshment stall, a vital nexus in public life. Note how Nordfeldt’s skillful use of hatching and cross-hatching evokes texture and form—suggesting, beyond mere architecture, a social hub. Editor: I’m captivated by the signage, like faded whispers of another age—'A St. Cecile,' promises perhaps grand abonnements...The figures though, they almost blend in to the surroundings! Is it intentional, that everyone melts into each other? Curator: Absolutely. Their almost spectral presence anchors them within the broader composition; within the communal spirit of such an establishment, one exists neither separate, nor isolated. There's continuity in form, suggesting the unending life cycle. Even, perhaps, of society. Editor: I wonder about the details elided: What kind of drinks are served here? Are the patrons gossiping, dreaming, escaping? And St. Cecile… the patron saint of music, in an establishment of, potentially, drink? I would want to be here to unravel the stories myself, given an actual teleportation! It's beautiful, even beyond my endless romanticizing. Curator: These are evocative interpretations. Now that you mention the saint's significance—Saint Cecilia, associated with art, and specifically with music—it brings the artist’s creative journey, his inner dialogue, into sharp focus. Editor: Hmm. Yes. I hadn’t seen it from there, initially... Well, Bror’s 'La Buvette' gave us all, I imagine, new views! Thank you!