Studie van een zwaan met gespreide vleugels 1720 - 1792

Editor: This is “Studie van een zwaan met gespreide vleugels,” or "Study of a Swan with Spread Wings," by Aert Schouman. It was done sometime between 1720 and 1792. I love how free and light the pencil lines are. What catches your eye when you look at this sketch? Curator: It’s the energy, isn’t it? Schouman has really captured a sense of movement. I almost feel like the swan is about to leap off the page! Imagine being there, in his studio, perhaps with the smell of ink in the air… seeing this creature, stretching, preening… What do you think it tells us about his process, that he chooses such a subject? Editor: I hadn't thought of that – that he could have observed this creature so closely. Do you mean how this study may be for a larger composition? It makes me appreciate it more, as a snapshot of a real, live swan. Curator: Exactly. It gives the work a vitality beyond mere decoration. I'm reminded of my own…adventures… with the swans in my local park when I was a child, trying to capture their essence through sketches. I see the same here, don’t you? Something intimate in this act of observation and representation. Do you think this drawing looks typically Baroque to you? Editor: I hadn't made the Baroque connection explicitly but I guess I see it. But compared to grand history paintings, this seems much more down-to-earth. More, you know, life-affirming! Curator: Indeed, perhaps Schouman reminds us that beauty is often found in the everyday, not just in lofty allegories, eh? Thank you! You made me feel something new in front of this drawing today. Editor: My pleasure! It's definitely given me a fresh perspective on the dynamism of animal studies!