Gezicht op Rügen in de Oostzee 1889 - 1893

Editor: This is "Gezicht op Rüngen in de Oostzee," a photograph by Willem Frederik Piek Jr., created between 1889 and 1893. The scene has a kind of quiet, hazy beauty, and the almost spherical composition is really striking. What's your take on this work? Curator: It's interesting to consider how Pictorialism, as seen in Piek's work, offered a counter-narrative to the increasing industrialization and urbanization of the late 19th century. This longing for an idealized, pre-industrial landscape often coincided with emerging nationalistic sentiments. Do you notice anything in the framing, perhaps the blurred edges, that speaks to this? Editor: I see it. It’s not a sharp, objective record; it feels softened, almost romanticized, as though it's a memory. The dark foreground creates a distance. Curator: Exactly. The manipulation of the photographic image, what some might call a “subjective” view, becomes a powerful commentary. Consider how access to land and its representation also intersect with social class and power at the time. Who had the privilege to capture and consume such images? Editor: That makes me think about whose stories are being told—and whose aren’t. Curator: And beyond that, what stories are they choosing to tell, and why? Are they reinforcing a specific narrative, perhaps about the purity or untouched nature of the landscape? It’s never just a neutral depiction. Editor: I hadn’t thought about the connection to nationalism so directly. I was mainly looking at the aesthetic qualities. Curator: And that's valid, but thinking about the social and political currents adds layers to our understanding. Editor: I'll definitely look at Pictorialism with a different perspective now! Curator: That’s the point, to keep questioning, to keep digging beneath the surface of what we see.