Gezicht op de haven van Rotterdam 1915

Curator: Immediately striking, isn't it? This etching, “View of the Port of Rotterdam,” dates back to 1915 and was created by Johan Hendrik van Mastenbroek. There’s something quite somber about it. Editor: Indeed, a murky, industrious scene. It seems almost weighed down by the very air it depicts. What's grabbing me right away are the plumes of smoke—are those signaling progress or pollution, or both? Curator: Well, considering it depicts Rotterdam, a major port, those stacks of smoke resonate as symbols of trade and transport, of course, but perhaps more viscerally of unstoppable industry and modernity. There is a distinctly modern, almost melancholy feel. Editor: Modern certainly, you can almost smell the coal. It’s fascinating to see how the etching process renders these monumental industrial structures almost ethereal, or spectral. Did van Mastenbroek perhaps focus on etching, given how this laborious technique contrasts with the dynamism he captures? Curator: Van Mastenbroek clearly had an eye for capturing the essence of bustling urban life. He wasn’t just recording reality, he was trying to capture the emotional impact of industrialization. Notice how the cranes almost dominate the human figures. There’s a real power dynamic at play. Editor: Precisely! The layering of the cranes and rigging creates a density of line that suggests both claustrophobia and also the almost unbelievable ingenuity required to produce this modern world. I’m struck by how the artist seems equally interested in depicting the mechanics of port activity and these smaller, almost secondary human actors. They’re dwarfed by the machinery. Curator: Think about how many ships departed from that harbor, carrying people and goods to all corners of the globe. What did those journeys mean, both for the individuals and the culture at large? To me, the silhouetted figures here speak volumes about human ambition, but also the potential loss embedded in constant motion. Editor: A powerful contrast indeed. The stark realism of the print combined with its textural richness suggests a story of simultaneous creation and extraction. There’s certainly a story being told here of material process and the human cost embedded in that activity. Curator: Mastenbroek really offers us so much more than just a 'view' doesn’t he? Editor: Absolutely. I’ll not be looking at another industrial cityscape quite the same.