November 1628 - 1629

Editor: Wenceslaus Hollar's "November," created between 1628 and 1629, captures a bustling Dutch Golden Age scene in ink and engraving. The precision is remarkable! Looking at this, I get a sense of everyday life, a slice of the past...What grabs you when you look at this piece? Curator: It whispers stories, doesn't it? For me, it's the dance between the stark reality of country life and the quiet poetry embedded within. Hollar offers us a glimpse into November's stark beauty. Do you see how the landscape isn't just backdrop, but an active participant? Editor: I see what you mean, yeah. The way the trees frame the buildings makes it feel very contained and intimate. Curator: Exactly! Consider the themes—genre painting mingling with the cityscape—it blurs boundaries, wouldn't you say? Is Hollar showing us industry and survival with a delicate beauty? What do you make of the text along the bottom edge? Editor: Oh, the Latin? I didn’t even notice! I think it speaks to the contrast you just pointed out: everyday labour in an artistic frame. Like how the actual month grounds a depiction of routine labour as more universal, right? Curator: Precisely! You are untangling it already. Hollar, for me, distills moments into an emotion. Editor: I definitely see it! It's less about documenting, and more about evoking a feeling of this time and place. Thank you. I won't look at prints the same way. Curator: My pleasure. Perhaps all great art encourages this slowing, so we might glimpse life with keener eyes.