Spaanse landman 1569

Curator: Let's delve into this pen drawing titled "Spaanse landman" from 1569, attributed to Ferando Bertelli. It's held in the Rijksmuseum collection. What strikes you initially about this figure? Editor: It's the man's pose and his unusual head covering. The simplicity of the pen strokes is quite striking too, but it also makes me curious. How was this drawing received during the Italian Renaissance? Curator: Consider the materials first: pen and ink. A readily available and inexpensive medium. Its very accessibility allowed for wider distribution, reflecting the emerging merchant class. What do you notice about the depiction of his clothing? It seems simple, yet meticulously rendered with numerous small hatches in close proximity that are distinct from faster gestural line drawings? Editor: I see it! The detail suggests attention paid to capturing the nuances of each fold in the fabric. So, it’s not necessarily about glorifying the *subject*, but about recording material culture. Curator: Exactly! Bertelli focuses on the materiality of dress and the *process* of its production. Each carefully drawn line represents labor – both the laborer depicted and the artist’s own effort. And this attention to detail might reveal clues about this 'landman's' role within society and about how notions of 'craft' were becoming recognised at the time. Editor: That’s fascinating! It makes me wonder about how the printmaking industry, then in its relative infancy, impacted these societal roles, shifting definitions of artistry. It seems that pen-and-ink medium provided a way to connect craft to something like a commodity. Curator: Precisely! Thinking about material culture gives us access to discussing things beyond artistic expression: class, labor, value. That is interesting how an apparent simple drawing of a man yields so many ideas and questions!