Spinhuissteeg te Amsterdam 1870 - 1926

Editor: This is Willem Wenckebach's "Spinhuissteeg te Amsterdam," an etching from sometime between 1870 and 1926. It's a beautiful rendering of a narrow Amsterdam street, full of precise lines and details, but it feels almost… claustrophobic? All that intense linework is dizzying. What do you make of it? Curator: Dizzying, yes, but I find it intensely… present. It's like Wenckebach wasn't just showing us a street, but inviting us to breathe its very air. Do you notice how the buildings on either side almost lean in? Creating a…stage? For those figures? Who are they? Watchmen? Witnesses? Are we being watched or protected here? This reminds me of a fever dream. Editor: I hadn’t really thought of it that way! That feeling of being watched gives me a slightly unsettled feeling, especially with those dark shadows, doesn’t it? The Art Nouveau style really adds to that drama, right? Curator: Drama indeed! And see how the artist uses that exaggerated perspective? That converging point deep in the scene…almost pulls you into the past! A past of brick, stone, watchful eyes, but also a golden age of light. Can you almost feel the artist sketching away, hidden by that very alley, from all of this. Editor: Now I feel like I’m looking at it in a totally different way! It’s not just a city scene; it’s a glimpse into Wenckebach’s experience. Thanks for this view. Curator: Oh anytime. Now to explore the other corridors...shall we?