Schetsboek LXV met 27 bladen 1875 - 1934

Curator: Welcome. Here we have "Sketchbook LXV with 27 leaves" by Isaac Israels, dating from 1875 to 1934. It's currently held in the Rijksmuseum's collection. Editor: Well, the initial impact is understated, almost humble. It's a plain sketchbook cover, with a brown paper stock that gives a very tactile feeling. There's a certain beauty in the simplicity of its presentation. Curator: The means of its production were humble. These sketchbooks represent an artist's most immediate, utilitarian tool. What would Isaac Israels have intended its audience to be when handling such a transient piece of raw material? Editor: The composition draws me in; I want to study how it has been handled, look for the faint outlines. See where a previous user might have altered its form; perhaps with some accidental marks upon the cardboard of its case. How are we to read the object in its present state? Curator: The objectness is fascinating, considering how such books were commonly produced and consumed at the time. The materiality speaks volumes; paper manufactured on an industrial scale, then manually handled by the artist— Editor: Yet it’s so much more than just "paper." It's an interplay between the mass produced and the handcrafted. There are the smudges, stains... those accidents of creative practice invite introspection. I wonder if there's an underlying symbolic code within the accidents. Curator: Consider Israels’ position in society. Someone who engaged with everyday subject matter. Would we find similar patterns if we were to compare these mass manufactured materials against contemporary social attitudes about labor, artistry, and capital investment at that time? Editor: Absolutely. And consider too, how such everyday artifacts of creative endeavor gain elevated aesthetic value due the simple fact that time separates us. It asks interesting questions of form. What elevates material value over time? Curator: Examining this sketchbook beyond its pure formal qualities illuminates questions about cultural status. Thank you for helping expand our view on its historic purpose and consumption. Editor: And thank you. Looking at this sketchbook's composition through form reveals layers of cultural information in time.