Riedijkshaven in Dordrecht c. 1880

Curator: Up next, we have "Riedijkshaven in Dordrecht," a lovely etching created around 1880 by Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande, part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: Oh, that's so wispy and ethereal. I almost feel like I'm looking at a memory more than a scene. A very serene memory, at that. Curator: I see what you mean. The muted tones, achieved through the etching technique, lend a dreamlike quality. Look at the ships—their masts create a kind of rhythmic pattern, anchoring the composition, don’t you think? Editor: Definitely, like a series of hopeful prayers reaching skyward, but there's also this incredibly comforting solidity about that big old tree. It feels like a silent guardian overlooking the whole harbor, almost like the Hesperides from mythology with their protective role, only...Dutch. Curator: Fascinating. I see it, too, now that you mention it! The etching's detail is subtle, but powerful. Notice how the reflections on the water mimic the shapes of the clouds. It is a nice link between heaven and earth. Perhaps that reflects the hopes and anxieties connected with voyages setting out. Editor: That's lovely! And the little figures on the dock, those almost stick-like forms that remind me of medieval mortality allegories. But there’s no actual tension in their stance—or at least, I don't see it in that way. It almost captures the feeling of just watching time gently go by. It's peaceful. Curator: I’d say it's the way the artist evokes a whole world with a simple line, a delicate web of them even, really speaks to me. You get the smell of the river, the slight salty tang, the murmur of conversation on the quayside, a lot just beneath the surface. It is kind of remarkable when you consider the limits of etching. Editor: Right? It is allusive rather than exhaustive. Maybe I respond to that most of all, the implied story and how much it allows us to add our own chapters to it.