Reisverslag van september 1880 1880s

Curator: This page is taken from Louis Apol's "Reisverslag van September 1880," dating back to the 1880s, and held here at the Rijksmuseum. Apol captured these observations in ink and watercolor on paper, a fleeting glimpse into his artistic process. Editor: Wow, it feels like stumbling upon someone's intimate thoughts. All those scratchy handwritten notes over a very faint grid...like reading a secret. I feel the rush of being a silent observer to an artistic mind. Curator: Absolutely, that intimacy stems from its format as a travelogue. We need to situate Apol, though recognized for winter landscapes, within the context of 19th-century travel culture and the burgeoning interest in representing the environment. Who gets to travel? Whose vision are we seeing? These are critical questions. Editor: Right. And in the raw quality of these quickly scribbled observations. It’s unfiltered—as if he's just trying to keep up with his own ideas. And it makes me want to ask: did that sense of urgency make him see and paint differently? Or maybe, if he has paused for a longer, he has painted them more beautiful as landscapes? Curator: His detailed notes on weather—"windety dome hot plochy"—capture immediate environmental conditions, highlighting the relationship between climate and representation. I like how this focus shifts how we frame landscape art traditionally; here, the socio-political aspects interweave inextricably with art history. Editor: To be able to time-travel back there, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Apol, both of us squinting against the light while rapidly trying to translate the scene before our eyes—now that’s something. It makes art history feel immediate, you know? Curator: Yes. When contextualized with that awareness, examining art historical narratives is no longer simply about aesthetics or biographical details but how the period, its biases, expectations shaped Apol's perspective as a male, Western European artist. Editor: For me, this peek into a creative travel diary ignites something. I feel like running with a sketchbook now. What I am waiting for? I need to do it before light changes completely.