Zeven met de staarten verbonden muizen 1898

Curator: Okay, let's dive into this drawing, "Seven Mice with Tails United," created in 1898 by Willem Wenckebach. It’s a pen and ink sketch on paper, held here at the Rijksmuseum. What's your first take on it? Editor: It's like a rodent conga line! I find the drawing simultaneously whimsical and slightly unnerving, like something from a strange fairy tale. The way the tails are connected... there’s a playful, almost sinister quality to that. Curator: Absolutely. The connected tails can be interpreted as a symbol of interconnectedness, of a small community moving as one. Wenckebach was working in the Art Nouveau style, so his use of flowing lines and organic motifs isn’t just decorative, it’s part of a broader exploration of natural forms. Consider also the availability of materials during that period, pen and ink were far more economical. Editor: Yes, that sinuous line is captivating! But there's a tension here as well; the lines seem to restrain as much as connect, the interconnectedness feels perhaps more imposed than consensual, like a co-dependent chorus line. It reminds me a little bit of that awkward moment when everyone’s holding hands for "Auld Lang Syne", you know? Curator: Precisely. Thinking about Wenckebach's potential intentions as a craftsman working in a changing industry also affects my perception, as there might have been a desire to prove his creativity and resourcefulness. Paper wasn't cheap, either; the sketch might well have been practice work, possibly intended as a decorative frieze, printed and used for wallpaper. Editor: Oh, that would be a fantastic wallpaper! Though, living with a never-ending chain of interconnected mice could drive me slightly mad. Still, the drawing has burrowed its way into my mind. It invites you to speculate about those seven little lives and the stories their united journey contains. Curator: And thinking about it from a purely practical point of view, considering the physical labor, the access to printing facilities and even something so apparently simple as pen and paper at the time gives an added weight to it as well. Editor: I see it now! It isn’t merely a drawing but a portal to contemplating materials, resources and interdependencies across species. A truly thoughtful memento of life.