Twee studies van een meisje en twee van een jongen 1870 - 1931

Curator: Looking at this compelling drawing, Twee studies van een meisje en twee van een jongen, I see something melancholic. What's your first impression? Editor: It’s all process isn’t it? That sketchy quality, the exposed surface of the paper. You see the artist thinking through the image in real time. It feels immediate, very fresh. Curator: Indeed! The artist Willem Bastiaan Tholen made this light pencil drawing between 1870 and 1931, a period where artists became deeply invested in capturing the world around them. Consider the positioning of each child, their posture… what might those poses evoke? Editor: I see how the artist used, presumably inexpensive, readily available material like a pencil to portray youth from what was most likely, at that time, everyday life. I wonder, could that explain that pervading air of melancholy you picked up on? The boys' uniforms, and the girl's dress, appear plain but proper; an interesting representation of the class structures from that time. Curator: That reading brings us closer to the intent of the image I think. Clothes mark both a role and a certain expectation within society. Here we might infer, childhood perhaps seen through the prism of responsibilities? Editor: And the rapid, economical marks suggest less of a finished product and more of a moment caught—art, not for the wealthy, but of and from daily existence. I wonder, does this kind of Realism change our ideas of what or who deserves artistic attention? Curator: The very essence of visual language lies here: to capture lived experiences and make them universal! Consider the portrait of the young girl front and center. There’s an incredible directness of gaze, holding a lot of cultural weight perhaps. A statement beyond representation! Editor: I concur. What really strikes me is the rawness of the piece – you feel like you’re observing Tholen observing his subjects and experimenting with different approaches to portraiture. Curator: Precisely. It gives us insight into a certain time and certain kind of upbringing, doesn't it? Thank you. Editor: Thanks to you. Thinking more on it, this pencil work also challenges the historical artistic tradition. The artist captured children simply dressed in simple clothing using simple methods – this feels significant in a multitude of ways.