Schuren onder hoog geboomte 1872 - 1877

Editor: This drawing by Willem de Haas Hemken, called "Sheds Under Tall Trees," made sometime between 1872 and 1877, depicts what appears to be farm sheds rendered in ink and pencil on paper. I'm immediately struck by the detail in the foliage compared to the more roughly sketched structures. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a compelling document of rural labor and materiality. Note how the artist renders the sheds not as idyllic structures, but as utilitarian spaces showing signs of wear. The broken tiles, the roughly hewn timbers... Editor: So you're less focused on the pastoral aesthetic and more on how it speaks to the work of those who used these sheds? Curator: Exactly. Consider the material reality of the farmers at the time. The artist shows a sharp eye on the conditions of rural labor in 19th-century Netherlands, emphasizing the hand-made nature of the farm buildings. Look at the details, each shed showing the economic and social factors involved. Can you see how the very way this drawing was created is aligned to those realities? Pencil and ink drawing on readily available paper are, relative to oil painting, a modest medium for capturing these barns. Editor: Yes, I see that now! It is more about documenting the process of building and use, as well as recording rural labour. I suppose I initially read it as romantic, but its much more down-to-earth than I first thought. Curator: And that close examination changes our view on art history, challenging boundaries of what and how artwork gets made and appreciated! Editor: It's fascinating to consider artwork as more than just pretty pictures, but as records of labor and the conditions in which people lived. Curator: Precisely, it reframes our entire perception.