Amstelsluizen 1887 - 1931

Editor: So, this is "Amstelsluizen" by Frans Everbag, dated between 1887 and 1931. It's an etching, a print, and a drawing all in one! It gives off a tranquil feeling, yet the city's right there. What grabs your attention most about this piece? Curator: Well, I'm immediately drawn to the labor and materials involved. The artist chose etching, a process requiring considerable skill and time. We should think about who would have been consuming images like this – who had the time and resources to acquire and appreciate them? Were these prints mass-produced for a wider audience, or intended for a select few? Editor: That's interesting – thinking about the market for this kind of image. Curator: Exactly. The choice of a cityscape also speaks volumes. We’re seeing the rise of the modern city, and with it, the means of trade represented through the waterways and working boats. Are the materials of those boats locally sourced, I wonder, and what does that tell us about the economy that shaped Amsterdam? And the locks themselves are structures built by labour, creating and regulating a working port. Does this image depict everyday life for working-class inhabitants, or romanticise it for those disconnected from it? Editor: So you see this print not just as a pretty scene, but as evidence of industry, commerce, and even class structures? Curator: Precisely. Every line etched into that plate speaks to the economic and social realities of the time. Considering the means of its production – from the ink to the paper – anchors us to that historical context. It challenges that idea of high art standing apart. Editor: I hadn’t really thought about art this way, considering it in terms of the resources needed to even produce or consume a piece. It really changes how you view something like this. Curator: Indeed. By exploring materiality, we unravel hidden stories and power dynamics embedded within art.