Battered farmers 1635

Curator: A palpable sense of struggle just leaps right off the page, doesn’t it? Editor: It does, a feeling almost of despair hanging over those figures. The bleakness of it. Curator: Indeed. The artwork is entitled "Battered Farmers" by Adriaen van de Venne, dating to 1635. He crafted it using chalk and graphite on paper. We are fortunate to host it here at the Städel Museum. Editor: Battered is the perfect word, actually. It's not just physical violence, though there’s plenty of that. It’s the sense of being worn down, ground under, by forces bigger than themselves. See how they huddle, even as they fight? Like animals caught in a storm. Curator: Precisely. Van de Venne was a master of imbuing even the most seemingly mundane subjects with profound emotion. Notice how he uses the limited palette – greys and whites mostly – to amplify the feeling of bleakness. The looseness of the line work only adds to it. Like a sketch of a bad dream. Editor: The figures themselves are so compelling; some seem resigned, others enraged. That man with the stick looks terrifying, but there’s a kind of hollow desperation in his swing. Is he defending himself, or just lashing out? It almost feels like they are being beaten down by mother nature instead of by each other. The landscape is so absent it’s imposing. Curator: I suspect both. Van de Venne often used his art to comment on the social and political realities of his time. "Battered Farmers," one could argue, speaks to the plight of the common people, caught between the grinding forces of war, poverty, and societal upheaval. They have lost any dignity to be sure. Editor: There’s an undeniable sense of timelessness, despite its setting in the 17th century. It speaks to something elemental about the human condition. The never-ending cycles of conflict, of haves versus have-nots… that struggle continues to resonate, sadly. It really pulls you in. I find myself wondering what became of them. Curator: And perhaps that is the point. Van de Venne isn't just showing us a fight; he is holding up a mirror, urging us to reflect on our own culpability and what battles we wage within ourselves, too.