Portret van Simon Thomas, professor in de verloskunde c. 1881 - 1888

Curator: It strikes me as something snatched, a whisper on paper... a fugitive thought about to disappear. Editor: What you are experiencing is an early study executed in pencil around 1881-1888 by Anton Mauve. It's titled, "Portret van Simon Thomas, professor in de verloskunde," or "Portrait of Simon Thomas, professor of obstetrics." Curator: Ah, obstetrics... well that does account for the thoughtful demeanor. The way the light and shadow are quickly sketched, there is an interior world hinted at with a kind of fleeting intimacy. It feels as if he just looked up from his notes on uterine contractions. Editor: Note the materiality: Just pencil on paper, yet the process, especially Mauve's quick, impressionistic hand, reveals much. Consider how the accessibility of these materials--paper and pencil--democratizes the artistic endeavor itself. Not needing the formal patronage system is freeing. It allowed Mauve to create sketches for possible later portraits. It also raises questions about the relationship between the “high art” portrait and the everyday sketch. Curator: Yes, and think of the sitter's profession too! Thomas's daily labor literally brings life into the world. I wonder if Mauve was pondering the miracle of new life while observing him? Maybe the artist himself saw the professor’s daily labor as an interesting, and therefore an ideal, artistic subject. There's this very strong interplay between materiality, the subject, and his own art practice. Editor: It makes me reflect upon the commodification of artistic materials... How pencil production increased around this time with industrial manufacturing... A study of pencil manufacture would expose much of the economics of art creation! The availability of such a "humble" implement allowed more art for more people and that, inevitably, shifts what can be captured. Curator: So the humble pencil facilitates both mass reproduction AND quiet contemplation. Wonderful! Looking at this now, I find the fleetingness comforting. It is a quiet reminder to not be overly rigid with expectations! Editor: Yes, art isn't always about the finished object. Thank you for helping to spotlight how "Portret van Simon Thomas" invites us to celebrate artistic study, process and humble implements!