1900 - 1922
Kust bij mijn 32
Robert Julius Boers
1867 - 1932Location
RijksmuseumListen to curator's interpretation
Curatorial notes
Robert Julius Boers created this photographic print, titled "Coast at my 32nd" without us knowing exactly when, but what remains is a testament to the dialogue between artist and landscape. It's a piece that whispers rather than shouts. Look closely and you'll notice how the composition teeters between abstraction and representation. The monochromatic palette simplifies the scene to its essence – the stark contrast between land and sea. The rocks in the foreground are solid and permanent, while the water is in constant motion. I am drawn to the textures of the rocks themselves, their surfaces rough and worn by time. This reminds me of the work of Gustave Courbet, who was also interested in painting the landscape as he saw it, without idealizing it or romanticizing it. Boers’s photograph, much like Courbet's paintings, invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, to appreciate the beauty in the everyday. Art is about seeing and feeling. It's about opening ourselves up to the world and allowing it to touch us.