Waag te Enkhuizen 1938

Editor: This is "Waag te Enkhuizen," a 1938 ink drawing on paper by Huib Luns, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The texture seems so dense, almost like the building is exhaling a history I can nearly touch. What details draw your eye in this work? Curator: Well, it's more than just a building, isn't it? Look how Luns renders the weight of time – the cobbled street, that imposing facade. It's not just perspective; it's the feeling that you could get lost in the story of this place. I’m wondering: does it spark your imagination? Does it tell you of long ago? Editor: Absolutely! It reminds me of a stage set. The tree branches above even look like dangling set pieces. How much of this “story” would you say comes from the realism, and how much from Luns’ perspective? Curator: Good question! I’d say the realism is a vehicle. Luns is using precision to unlock a more elusive truth, don't you think? The meticulous rendering almost contradicts itself, inviting us to see beyond mere representation. Like he’s whispering secrets… Editor: It's interesting that you call it "unlocking" because there's a certain darkness too – the heavy shading makes the windows feel almost like closed eyes. Curator: Exactly! The darkness isn't ominous, though; it's expectant. He gives us this real place, this moment suspended. Luns seems to suggest that meaning doesn't come from bricks and mortar, but from the eye perceiving them. It is about seeing; do we know how to observe what is being shown to us? Editor: So, perhaps Luns isn't just showing us a building, but also teaching us how to look at one. Curator: Precisely. I initially thought it was all perspective; now, thanks to your fresh eyes, I appreciate the delicate balance Luns strikes between reality and imagination. The closed eyes of the Waag; and our own.