Kangoeroe c. 1904 - 1906

Curator: Dijsselhof’s "Kangoeroe," dating back to around 1904-1906, sketched simply in pencil, holds a curious appeal here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Spare, isn’t it? A whisper of a kangaroo, barely tethered to the paper. Makes me think of those quick, almost absent-minded doodles, the kind you might find in the margins of a lecture. Curator: Interesting. Dijsselhof, known for his intricate and often symbolic works, using line to outline his subject in a way that focuses on form over function, the posture perhaps…What do you make of that positioning? Editor: Stretched, awkward even. The extended limbs—almost as if the kangaroo is forced to accommodate the space. A social commentary maybe? A commentary of an animal reduced to lines of a spectacle in captivity? I want to see what pencil he used, how hard he pressed it into the paper, was he even paying attention or sketching during something else? The materiality seems vital here, or lack of it, even, it makes the kangaroo both present and intangible, and almost cheapens this figure. Curator: A valid observation. The light touch emphasizes a certain…ethereality. But I lean more toward exploring this within Dijsselhof’s artistic evolution, a simplification maybe indicating his own move away from earlier styles. Perhaps a need to depict this animal in an expressive manner instead of his traditional meticulous art? I sense longing here as the subject exists almost out of reach. Editor: I would love to examine more, explore the labour and act of consumption by this particular Dutch museum that holds a drawing of a kangaroo in its holdings... The animal here seems an imported good, reduced to simple raw materials with no labor, devoid of origin, or story…it would make more sense if it were crafted using fiber or some local natural resources available to the artist. It begs the questions... Curator: I understand this point. The contrast, of course, would further enhance our sense of this figure. What stories this minimalist rendition might speak if there were different materials in play! But I appreciate, equally, that pencil line, light as a dream, holding the kangaroo still so lightly. Editor: Precisely. This piece really demonstrates the necessity of art's function when considering even what seems the most minor pencil line. It can make it or break it and be as strong a conveyor of concepts of colonialism or globalization of art that would, ultimately, take down galleries such as the Rijksmuseum. Curator: I never saw it this way, thanks for guiding my understanding and attention in that sense. Editor: Anytime! Always happy to connect materials to bigger cultural narratives. It really changes how you appreciate art, doesn't it?