Uithoorn, Schans 1890 - 1920

Editor: This is "Uithoorn, Schans," a watercolour by A. v.d. Sluys, created sometime between 1890 and 1920. It’s such a peaceful snapshot of a Dutch town, but the perspective, leading the eye right to the church spires, feels a little… staged, almost postcard-like. What are your thoughts on this work? Curator: Precisely. The structure is quite deliberate, isn’t it? Note the rigorous adherence to a perspectival grid, almost an academic exercise in representing depth. Observe how the verticality of the church towers is counterbalanced by the horizontality of the rooftops, creating a stable, if somewhat predictable, composition. Editor: I see what you mean about the stable composition. It's very balanced, but does that make it…less interesting? Curator: Not necessarily less interesting, but perhaps less… daring. The artist clearly understands the principles of formal balance and employs them skillfully. However, the brushwork, while competent, lacks a certain gestural freedom. Do you not agree? Editor: Well, I can appreciate the technical skill. But compared to, say, a more radical Impressionist work, it feels a bit restrained. It makes me wonder if he followed academic conventions instead of experimenting to express personal views. Curator: Indeed. The work functions as a carefully constructed image. There is nothing in this artwork's elements which indicates that v.d. Sluys attempts to represent something other than surface. We see this through the muted coloration which may suggest a reserved, restrained emotional register that v.d. Sluys is operating within, however implicit or explicit that operation may be. Editor: Thanks. I’ve never considered these formal characteristics of how artistic choices reveal so much. Curator: It reveals everything when surface is exactly what you have to work with.