Extreem hoge waterstand bij Scheveningen, december 1790 Possibly 1790 - 1801

Curator: Jacobus Buys’ “Extreem hoge waterstand bij Scheveningen, december 1790,” likely created between 1790 and 1801, captures a somber moment in time. I find the stark rendering and almost monochrome palette evocative of a stormy day on the Dutch coast. Editor: It feels very…precarious, doesn't it? The entire composition teeters on the edge, mirroring the high water about to consume the town. You can almost taste the salt spray! Curator: The piece certainly conveys that sense of unease. Crafted with pencil on paper, Buys uses delicate lines to detail the townscape—the church tower rising defiantly against the tumultuous sky, the small houses huddled together. It feels so Realist. Editor: There’s an interesting dichotomy at play. On the one hand, you have this commitment to depicting the scene accurately; but then the Romantic elements surface through the drama of the storm. The water, particularly, seems rendered to convey power. Semiotics might suggest we read this as nature’s indifference, a rebuke to human endeavors. Curator: Indeed. The contrast between the sturdy architecture and the restless sea highlights humanity's vulnerability to natural forces. Look how the figures trudge wearily across the makeshift bridges; a sense of helplessness seems to pervade everything. Editor: And yet, there's a stubborn refusal to surrender. People are walking. The houses are there. Life goes on, however changed it is, which brings us to the importance of context and maybe an intentional focus of the ordinary population. We never see the high authorities. It is only ever normal folks depicted with normal actions in romantic times. Curator: Absolutely. It’s a snapshot of resilience as well as disaster, and something deeply moving lies in that tension. The limited tonal range and delicate lines help give a melancholic hue which contrasts wonderfully with this theme of survival. Editor: The artwork then really offers multiple readings, with this interesting tension between a commitment to stark realism mixed with romantic sentiments in a historical portrayal of the strength of the everyman in a dramatic setting. I will now look at my garden after visiting here and give it another view! Curator: Precisely. Buys reminds us of our inherent capacity to withstand, adapt, and rebuild. A simple sketch, yes, but full of subtle grandeur and resonant meaning for our times as well.