Gezicht te Löbtau 1876 - 1951

Curator: This is Theo Nieuwenhuis' "Gezicht te Löbtau," a graphite and pencil drawing created sometime between 1876 and 1951. It resides here in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression? It’s... incomplete. Ghostly, almost. Like a memory sketched out, not quite solid. Curator: Precisely. Notice how Nieuwenhuis used a minimal hand, relying on the intrinsic qualities of graphite and paper to convey form and light. There is no pretension in the work. I see it as deeply process oriented, drawing attention to the labor of landscape and to the social context in which sketching became an activity. Editor: I see something else, though. Look at those spindly trees. Bare. Vulnerable. And then the blurred shape of that building, heavy above it all. It has that feeling of transience to me; he really captured a place slipping away with simple lines. Curator: Slipping away indeed! Nieuwenhuis was deeply enmeshed in debates surrounding art's role within national and commercial landscapes, both. The swift marks indicate something akin to architectural survey perhaps. What do you suppose the building might have housed? It has signage across its front. Editor: Hmm. That does invite some material interpretation. Perhaps it really is less personal and more of a document? A record for somebody? Though the muted palette still evokes winter quietness for me. Curator: The quietness perhaps serves the goal! Or even is evidence of particular commercial need for neutrality within image making during his period. The subtle variations in shading give dimension despite the limited tonal range. One observes a deliberate control over mark-making despite initial impressions. Editor: Perhaps he was aware of that stark contrast himself – this interplay of recording but then this human attempt to distill what feels essentially quiet to one. Maybe it would always retain its subtle melancholy because of this attempt. Curator: I do see this as a very good summation of this piece and its engagement within our current collection!