Bauernhäuser, davor ein altes Weib nach links sehend, vorne links zwei Baumstämme 

Editor: This is "Farmhouses, in Front an Old Woman Looking to the Left, in Front Left Two Tree Trunks," a landscape drawing using ink, pencil, and chalk by Jan Hulswit, part of the Städel Museum collection. There's a stillness to it, a quiet simplicity that feels almost melancholic. What catches your eye? Curator: Isn't it evocative? To me, it’s as much about what Hulswit *doesn’t* show as what he does. The lone figure, barely there in the sketch, set against the solid, aged architecture... it feels like a fleeting memory, a ghost of a moment captured. Does it remind you of anywhere, any story perhaps? Editor: A bit like a fairytale setting... perhaps grim, if I consider the lady leaning on the stick... So, is it supposed to reflect anything besides the architecture? Curator: Possibly the cycle of time, or maybe the relationship between humanity and the natural world. It feels… honest. Think of those strokes of ink, the hesitant lines of pencil – Hulswit isn’t trying to impress; he’s simply bearing witness. And that, for me, is where its beauty lies. You feel that stark stillness too, yes? Editor: Definitely the stillness… it’s very intimate. Did most people go for simplicity back then? I was expecting fancy ornaments, at least in drawing. Curator: It’s deceptive, this apparent simplicity! The 18th century was all about control and order, especially within artistic institutions, while, drawings, often, escaped from the rigor. Hulswit offers instead a candid portrayal, which makes us connect with our vulnerable nature. See how the delicate texture of the thatched roof and rugged trunks convey feelings through an apparently raw, unmediated vision! Editor: I never looked at drawings that closely… Curator: Neither did I. Editor: Thanks, I’ll surely pay attention next time. Curator: As I said before, witnessing is all that matters.