Staande soldaat, zijn geweer afschietende 1708 - 1717

Curator: Isn't it interesting? This piece, created between 1708 and 1717 by Dirk Maas, is called "Standing Soldier, Firing His Gun". It's currently part of the Rijksmuseum collection. And it's a drawing, executed with a delicate pen technique. Editor: My first impression? Energetic, almost theatrical. The pose is so deliberate. It reminds me of those figurines that seem suspended in time and motion. Curator: Absolutely. He's all swagger and tension, isn’t he? This era, though… you feel a strong Baroque influence. It's there in the almost theatrical flourish of his stance, his clothes. Baroque loved capturing a moment of action, a peak of drama. It seethes a specific memory in our mind, isn’t it? The memory of conflicts, bravery… death. Editor: That's what catches my eye. All that detail in the clothing. Each button, crease, fold – it makes him more than just a soldier, don’t you think? More a man, caught in a specific moment of time. It seems symbolic; he's defending more than just territory. Curator: I see the cultural and historical nuances. Those details do anchor him to a time. And this connects to something primal within us all. Symbols, posture, dress all tell a complex story. Editor: You said it well. The way he anticipates and faces danger tells us of strength but also perhaps of impending doom. His posture seems so brave, his costume looks to carry years of tales… tales of blood, and fire, all in delicate pen strokes! Curator: Right, right… all of humanity’s internal conflicts expressed through the image of the poised-to-shoot marksman. Thanks to symbols this drawing communicates more than meets the eye at first sight. It stirs my feelings of respect for Maas who encapsulated it into a drawing. Editor: Exactly! It started off simple and figurative but your view now lets me read it like the beginning of some epic narrative. So simple yet so grand at the same time… almost Baroque, ha! Curator: Well, in the end it’s about feelings, memories… human stories rendered in paper and pen. Maas took what he had, his drawing style and Baroque aesthetics to create a complex cultural symbol of what it means to be ready. Editor: Precisely. An artist creates and lets other minds read them from then on. Wonderful piece and artist for sure.