Boom 1874 - 1875

Editor: This is "Boom," a pencil drawing from around 1874-1875 by Willem Cornelis Rip. It has such a fleeting, almost dreamlike quality. What stands out to you when you look at this sketch? Curator: What I find striking is the way this simple sketch speaks to a larger cultural trend of landscape appreciation in the late 19th century. It’s a humble work, a sketch, yet it participates in a dialogue about the value of the natural world that was very present in artistic and social circles at the time. How do you think the rise of industrialization impacted the desire for these landscape drawings? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn’t considered the industrial aspect! Perhaps it's a reaction to that, a longing for something untouched and natural. But how does a simple pencil sketch play a ‘public role’, as you say? Curator: Well, consider where it might have been displayed, who might have viewed it. Even a simple drawing, when exhibited or reproduced, can reinforce or challenge dominant ideas about nature, beauty, and the rapidly changing world. Was it meant to capture the attention of a large public? Or rather of the upper middle class interested in art and design? Editor: That makes sense. So, the artwork's cultural impact isn’t just about its aesthetic qualities, but also about how and where it circulates. I guess a museum displays, gives value, and interprets… making even a small sketch significant. Curator: Precisely. Think about the act of observing nature at this period and then documenting this on paper with pencil. Doesn’t this practice indicate also that people wanted to possess an idyllic and vanishing part of the Netherlands? Editor: I hadn't thought of that possession element before. This sheds a completely new light on Rip’s landscape drawings. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely, seeing art in context really enriches our understanding.