Bos 1834 - 1906

Editor: This delicate pencil drawing, titled "Bos" by Maria Vos, appears to capture a tranquil forest scene. There's an intimacy to it, a sense of immediacy. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I see a negotiation between representation and production. The labor inherent in creating this graphite drawing on paper isn’t immediately visible, but the medium itself tells a story. Pencil, graphite – mass produced tools arising from specific industrial processes, enabled a democratized form of artmaking. How does that availability change what it means to depict nature? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't considered the materials themselves in relation to the subject. Does that mean the choice of a humble medium, like pencil, changes how we interpret her depiction of nature, like a forest? Curator: Precisely! Was this made as a preliminary sketch or a completed artwork in its own right? How would the social function of either change its meaning? If meant to be quickly consumed or replicated through print, the ‘bos’ becomes another disposable resource. Editor: So, rather than just a picturesque scene, this drawing embodies questions of access, labor, and the consumption of both art and natural resources? Curator: Yes! The image of nature, even a simple one, becomes entangled with industrial practices, economic forces, and availability, shifting how we perceive the artistic and economic value of the forest depicted. Editor: That really changes how I see it! I initially focused on the image, now I am thinking of mass production too! Curator: It is the intersection of what is produced, and how.