Vier muizen 1913 - 1968

Curator: Here we have "Vier muizen," or "Four Mice," by Jan Mankes, crafted sometime between 1913 and 1968. It’s an etching, utilizing ink on paper to create a wonderfully intimate scene. Editor: Intimate is right. It's so subtle, almost whispering. Those little mice look like they're plotting something in the undergrowth. There's a dreamlike quality to it. I'm strangely drawn in, like a tiny Alice in Wonderland. Curator: Mankes possessed a distinctive eye, rendering realism with this soft, almost ethereal touch. He masterfully captures texture, giving dimension to the flat surface. Editor: Absolutely, look at the grass and tiny plants! I see old engraving styles at work there. But beyond that technique, I keep wondering, why mice? What did they mean to him? Mice in art often symbolize themes that artists avoid: disease, poverty and marginalization, not so subtle anxieties. But the animals in this work emanate calmness. It feels domestic, familiar even. Curator: The visual language of animals can carry such cultural weight. Mankes often portrayed creatures within domestic settings; an impulse of psychological interiority. It challenges that dichotomy of wild versus tame. Editor: That's right! You expect chaos, panic perhaps. Yet there's this almost regal serenity about them. Almost anthropomorphic in their gathering. The use of black and white lends a timeless feel, like peering into a forgotten story. Curator: There is something wonderfully uncanny about it. The symbolism is muted, allowing our subconscious to project our own narratives. Its subtle use of nature evokes quiet contemplation. It really seems a bit of realism injected with a bit of romanticism. Editor: It’s stuck with me. A reminder that even in the smallest of creatures, the simplest scenes, there’s a whole universe of meaning to discover. These are quite humble images but strangely satisfying in ways I wasn't quite expecting.