Gezicht op een stad met een kerk en molen 1907

Editor: We're looking at Alexander Shilling's "View of a City with a Church and Mill," a pencil drawing from 1907. It feels very immediate, almost like a snapshot. I’m curious, what catches your eye about this sketch? Curator: What immediately strikes me is its engagement with Impressionism at the turn of the century, particularly within the context of increasing urbanization and industrialization. The sketch, while seemingly simple, taps into anxieties about the changing landscape. Notice how the windmill and church, traditional symbols of rural life, are rendered with the same ephemeral quality as the more loosely sketched trees. Editor: So, you’re seeing a tension between the traditional and the modern? Curator: Precisely. And consider the act of sketching itself. What did it mean to quickly capture a scene like this at this particular time? The proliferation of readily available art supplies in the late 19th century democratized art making, bringing these modes of representation closer to the middle class. It raises questions about accessibility and who gets to define and depict the national landscape. Do you see how this aesthetic relates to power structures? Editor: I guess I hadn't thought about it in terms of who has access and who decides what's worth depicting. Curator: Think about the institutions that would eventually collect and display such work – museums, galleries – and the social circles they catered to. Shilling, by depicting this scene, engages with existing narratives about the picturesque, about Dutch identity, while also questioning their relevance in the face of societal change. Editor: That makes me consider how even a seemingly simple drawing can reflect bigger social forces at play. It definitely adds a layer of complexity that I hadn't appreciated. Curator: Exactly. By considering the broader cultural and institutional context, we gain a richer understanding of even the most unassuming artwork.