Marietje geeft de hertjes brood

Curator: Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof, a Dutch artist from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, crafted this sketch, entitled "Marietje Gives Bread to the Deer." It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, I find this so incredibly charming. There’s something childlike in the way it's rendered. It's very sketch-like, almost as if he dashed it off on a spare moment. It's pure, unadulterated whimsy. Curator: Yes, and looking at it more closely, one gets a glimpse into Dijsselhof's creative process. You can really see the pencil and ink on paper, which feels direct. It's a work on paper, which situates it firmly in a history of image production where materials themselves are immediate. What would you make of it on closer look, speaking of "craft?" Editor: Well, seeing those quickly hatched lines gives the impression of speed but also certainty, and a material sensibility that suggests labor--especially the background hut. It speaks to folk art traditions; it reminds us that images often arise from necessity or specific cultural conditions, instead of just from a rarified idea of the "artistic genius," or so-called genius! Curator: Absolutely! The sketch possesses a certain naive charm. I feel there's something of a children’s book illustration here; it's immediately narrative, almost begging to be made into a story. It is deceptively simple. There’s a sense of movement as the deer reach out to Marietje as she shares some food. There’s a clear affection in it, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Perhaps the rough materiality even accentuates a critique of sentimental portrayals of nature? This could serve as commentary of social divisions of labor. You can think of it reflecting how resources such as food might be distributed unequally, with some individuals, Marietje in this case, having the ability to offer surplus to those seemingly in need. Is it possible to even describe art production without addressing economic life? Curator: Interesting! Perhaps. At any rate, I find this image incredibly appealing. The way the whole scene seems caught between reality and some kinder dream. Editor: I find in this rendering that an examination of its craft—from materials to manufacture to distribution of content--only enriches the dialogue this modest sketchbook drawing sparks, don't you think?