Boom bij een hek 1848 - 1888

Editor: Here we have Anton Mauve’s “Boom bij een hek”, or “Tree by a fence,” a pencil drawing made sometime between 1848 and 1888. It’s a seemingly simple landscape, a quick sketch, but the dense, almost frenetic strokes of the pencil give it an intriguing energy. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, let's think about the materials themselves: graphite and paper. Common, readily available. Mauve’s choice moves art making away from rare pigments and precious metals, right? This elevates the everyday, the sketch, the preliminary study to something worthy of consideration. And the very act of sketching, rapid mark-making, connects to a particular mode of production, a quick registering of an observation. Editor: So, it’s less about the scene itself, and more about…the process of capturing it? Curator: Exactly. How does that inform our understanding of landscape art more broadly? Think about the labor involved in creating the finished, polished landscapes of the Dutch Golden Age, which this seems to subtly reject. The visible work of the hand, the artist's immediate interaction with the scene, it is presented bare and without pretence. Editor: That makes me think about artistic intention and authenticity too. This sketch feels more direct and personal. Curator: Precisely! How does this challenge the established hierarchy that separates "high" art from mere sketches or craft? Editor: It’s interesting to consider the democratizing potential, the shift away from elitist traditions… Thank you, that definitely changes how I see it! Curator: Indeed! By focusing on the materiality and the conditions of its production, we can start to unpack some really interesting questions about artistic value.