De 2de Leliedwarsstraat te Amsterdam 1870 - 1926

Editor: So, this etching and print by Willem Wenckebach, titled 'De 2de Leliedwarsstraat te Amsterdam,' which roughly translates to the 2nd Lily Cross Street, dates from 1870 to 1926. It’s currently held in the Rijksmuseum. It feels so... contained, doesn't it? The tightly packed buildings, the stark lines. What jumps out at you? Curator: That "contained" feeling you’re picking up on – I think that's spot on. To me, it speaks volumes about how we define our spaces. We think of a street as this open conduit, a public thoroughfare. But here, Wenckebach gives us this feeling of being enclosed, almost like a room. Doesn't it make you consider the boundary between private and public life, the performance of being on display in a domestic space? What’s 'outside' versus 'inside', especially with those details of steps up to the doors and those little figures almost tucked in? Editor: It really does blur those lines. The snow also contributes; it kind of muffles everything, like a blanket over the city. Curator: Exactly! And it transforms the ordinary. Think about how the Golden Age Dutch Masters, whom he undoubtedly admired, used light to illuminate moral lessons, to reveal hidden truths. Does Wenckebach, by playing with dark ink and stark paper and showing this scene almost softened by snow, seem like he's also exploring the 'real' Amsterdam versus the idealized version of the city, even critiquing it, maybe? Editor: That's a great point! I hadn’t considered the tension between reality and idealization here. I see so many Dutch Golden Age influences in this print. Curator: Yes, exactly! Though rooted in tradition, Wenckebach pulls us into a strikingly modern viewpoint with Realist lines. It is truly a gem from that time period of Amsterdam. Editor: Well, now I see it in a new light. It is so much more dynamic than my first reaction. Thanks for sharing.