Daken en tuinen in Enkhuizen 1870 - 1931

Curator: Here we have "Roofs and Gardens in Enkhuizen," a pencil drawing by Willem Bastiaan Tholen, created sometime between 1870 and 1931. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It’s a lovely, almost dreamlike scene. The pencil work is quite delicate, giving the rooftops and gardens a hazy, ethereal quality. I am compelled to consider its means of production as I think about how rapidly urban settings change. It is easy to forget that this quiet town square once looked like this. Curator: It's interesting you use the word "dreamlike" because that's not often applied to Dutch Golden Age art, with its reputation for precise realism. However, Tholen was working much later, absorbing influences from Impressionism. That definitely softens the realism, moving it away from straightforward documentation. But to be fair to the subject, the artist produced other renderings with much bolder detail. The town and this vista might actually look this romantic! Editor: I appreciate how Tholen uses a simple material like pencil to explore themes of space and light. Was this perhaps made to be replicated in mass quantities or even to instruct novice draftsmen? Its simple approach provides unique accessibility to viewers and would-be artists alike. Curator: Not necessarily to be replicated, although drawings were often translated into prints for wider distribution. This was probably intended more as a study, or perhaps a work in its own right. Think of the culture that celebrates landscape art through national and international exhibitions, through the collections of local museums—all of this elevates such studies in the contemporary market. This makes it difficult to divorce it from those contemporary expectations. Editor: Perhaps, but there is no denying that the materiality here feels grounded, despite whatever aesthetic expectations viewers have, even those within Tholen's own social moment. It invites a deep dive into the material basis of even idealized urban landscape imagery. This can bring fresh insight to viewers, particularly regarding themes of environmental preservation and conservation. Curator: I think what strikes me is that by focusing on a familiar town and scene, Tholen allows us to see the beauty in the ordinary. Its inclusion in the Rijksmuseum elevates what some might have overlooked at street level into a site of reflection and historical importance. Editor: Ultimately, it reminds me of the intrinsic link between the spaces we inhabit and the materials that shape our perceptions of them. Curator: A very grounded way to perceive such delicate roofs and gardens.