Schetsblad met vijf hoofd- en figuurstudies van Indonesische mannen en vrouwen 1848 - 1854

Curator: We’re looking at a page of studies, a work entitled "Schetsblad met vijf hoofd- en figuurstudies van Indonesische mannen en vrouwen," created by Christian Heinrich Gottlieb Steuerwald, likely between 1848 and 1854. It’s a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: Ah, a sketchbook page! I love the vulnerability of sketches. These feel so immediate, like we’re peeking over the artist’s shoulder. There’s a gentleness to the linework, a kind of searching. Curator: Precisely. The sketch provides an interesting look into how Steuerwald worked, focusing on the structural integrity of form using tonal gradations within a light pencil work. Editor: They look so serene, even a little sad. I wonder what stories they hold? Each face is so different; the angles of the hats, the set of the jaw…you can feel the individuals despite the rapid execution. Curator: The formal analysis suggests a careful attention to physiognomy within the context of realism as a movement. Steuerwald is exploring types, while still capturing some sense of individual character. Editor: I always feel a pang when I see art like this. Colonial context, you know? Who were these people, really? Were they paid fairly for their likeness? Did they want to be drawn? Curator: The power dynamic is certainly present and worth considering, even if difficult to definitively answer. Looking at it from the point of view of drawing’s history, one can see a study of exoticism manifested with a close rendering of human figures. Editor: Well, it is beautifully done. Even if the history behind it all is complex. It captures light, that certain Asian light. It has got life breathed into it through the sheer talent of Steuerwald, there is an undeniably immediacy despite the space between then and now. Curator: Yes, a successful study of faces in an elegant display of pencil on paper with minimal but expressive shading! Editor: These faces are ghosts in a way, but what lovely ghosts.