Fluitspelende jongen met hond 1831 - 1904

Curator: Look at this lovely etching; it’s called "Fluitspelende jongen met hond" which translates to "Boy playing flute with dog," and was created by Arnoud Schaepkens between 1831 and 1904. What’s your take on it? Editor: My first impression is…gentle melancholy. The textures feel very tangible, you almost feel the wool of the boy's clothes through the page, but I am not sure what I am meant to feel as there’s no joy radiating out, from either child or pup! Curator: Interesting! Schaepkens seems very concerned with the making. The line work suggests someone engrossed with the tactile experience of etching, how deeply to score the plate, the effect of the acid... Did he labour on this for hours and days do you think? He’s creating a little genre scene, but you’re right; without sentimentalising it. Editor: Definitely. It really is about the process—and also, the means of production, it must be said! An etching suggests it’s intended for multiples. Was this created to circulate imagery of idyllic, countrified Dutch life among the burgeoning middle class? It really makes you consider printmaking as industry. Curator: Possibly. It does remind me of those early photography portraits of ‘everyday folk’ but here, the material provides the filter. He elevates the common, the usual, the daily slog even perhaps. I can only imagine how much effort has been channeled in this endevour! Editor: Indeed, what looks seemingly quaint is underscored with process. So, if we see it as an artefact of print culture, it makes me think differently. Is that naive pup really innocent or is it some carefully placed pawn? Curator: A pawn? That is very deep. Still, your interpretation opens up new avenues to consider. It makes you realize how easily we project our desires onto these frozen images. Editor: Precisely. Even Schaepkens, consciously or unconsciously, did that too. The process and materiality are just tools for him, like a conductor, and help us expose hidden depths!