Heuvellandschap met jager 1939

Curator: Immediately I see a dreamlike quality to it, almost a longing, you know? Editor: Indeed. We're looking at Lodewijk Schelfhout's 1939 etching, "Heuvellandschap met jager," or "Hilly Landscape with Hunter," here at the Rijksmuseum. It presents a complex composition layering a picturesque landscape and narrative elements. Curator: The geometric lines! And the almost stark contrast between the dark etching and the lighter tones makes it so dramatic. How can you look away? It feels so raw, like a scene from an old tale... or maybe a fever dream? Editor: The organization of the piece, utilizing sharp, definitive lines, highlights the interplay between the organic forms of the landscape and the geometric constructions of the village. The scale shifts unexpectedly too. Is the hunter far away or gigantic? The visual syntax complicates simple perspective. Curator: Right? The scale is bonkers! I also see a village way up in the landscape... Is that a trick of perspective or is everything topsy turvy? This reminds me, slightly, of looking at Piranesi's work and it hits me like that; what you are seeing in front of you may not even be 'real' or exist as an image and an object. Editor: Schelfhout is playing with us! And it works beautifully to challenge our assumptions around "landscape" as a representational genre. There is the hunt as this image makes the point; the "hunter" can represent humanity or not... Either way, this natural location provides much cover for various intents. He does so much with simple lines, and stark color contrasts... I really dig the mood here. Curator: So many interpretations... that is so great! Looking closely at this one, its mood strikes me; it suggests this is a landscape as a stage for human actions; it suggests something has or will come to pass. I am leaving here pondering possibilities now! Editor: For me, it is more in how this picture challenges us to question how space is organized in art. Schelfhout encourages everyone here to reconsider seeing by seeing so clearly in this visual treat!