Vicomeer met zicht op Monte Fogliano en Monte Venere c. 1808 - 1857

Curator: This is a double-page drawing titled "View of Vicomeer with a View of Monte Fogliano and Monte Venere," created by Abraham Teerlink, sometime between 1808 and 1857, employing pencil and ink. It's currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The landscapes are calming, but I wonder, what do you see here? Editor: Initially, I’m drawn to the medium. It seems so…ephemeral, captured in pencil and ink within what looks like a personal sketchbook. How do you think that choice of material affects our reading of the work? Curator: Precisely! Let’s consider the context. This isn’t a grand oil painting meant for a salon. It’s a drawing, likely produced en plein air. Therefore, it shows a direct engagement with the landscape and the labor required to represent the scenery quickly and effectively with readily available and portable media. Note the artist’s process; this is the residue of working. What implications arise? Editor: So, rather than focusing on the finished ‘art object,’ we’re encouraged to think about Teerlink’s experience of physically being *there*, sketching in this location. The work shows how materials available enable art making and accessibility to the public. Curator: Exactly. This Romantic-era landscape could be understood through the materials used. What does this suggest to us about access, patronage, and production during that time? It suggests artistic independence beyond, say, producing commissioned works. Does the aged quality of the paper shift our understanding of it? Editor: Absolutely! Knowing it’s part of a sketchbook, made with readily accessible materials and aged with the years shifts my focus away from a 'finished product'. This artwork reflects an ongoing material dialog between the artist, his surroundings and, the making process. I like how you brought attention to materials. I had never thought about that! Curator: Indeed! It’s the materiality and its link to the process that unlock a richer understanding.