Schetsboek met 40 bladen Possibly 1843 - 1848

Curator: Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer’s sketchbook, dating possibly from 1843 to 1848 and residing here at the Rijksmuseum, is composed of forty sheets of mixed-media drawings on paper. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Honestly? The quiet. It's such a hushed, understated object. That gentle green—it feels like something discovered tucked away in a forgotten corner of an attic. Curator: I see it through the lens of preservation and history. This isn't just paper and pigment. It is a portal into Klinkhamer's world, reflecting the sociopolitical dynamics influencing artistic creation at the time. Editor: Sure, but consider the texture. You can almost feel the linen-like pattern on the cover just by looking. What secrets are hidden within those pages? Is it filled with detailed landscapes, portraits of melancholic figures, or wild experiments? The unknown just gets my imagination going. Curator: Indeed, the sketchbook as a repository of unseen art is quite interesting. Knowing it’s from the mid-19th century, it makes me wonder about the role of sketchbooks at the time and in society more broadly: Who had access to these materials? What statements do the choices of subject and media make about Klinkhamer’s place in the world? Editor: And speaking of medium…mixed media tells a story itself, doesn’t it? Were supplies scarce? Was he experimenting? It suggests a restless energy, a desire to push boundaries. Maybe even a hint of rebellion against the constraints of academic art! Curator: I think it is key to interpret this bound collection of work considering the rise of Romanticism and the increasing emphasis on individual expression. It raises questions about how the notion of freedom played out in practice for artists of Klinkhamer’s background. Editor: I love that. Thinking about context adds so much. Looking at this little unassuming object becomes like detective work—digging for stories beneath the surface, and inventing a few of your own! It almost makes you want to grab a sketchbook and start drawing. Curator: Yes, and in the process think more deeply about whose stories get told, and how we participate in shaping artistic narratives today. Editor: Exactly! Maybe it's time we all dusted off our own sketchbooks and started creating a little quiet rebellion of our own.