Paardenhoofd, naar rechts before 1841

Curator: Here we have “Paardenhoofd, naar rechts,” or "Horse head, to the right," a drawing attributed to Joannes Bemme from before 1841, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The first impression is one of stark simplicity. It is the delicate shading and incompleteness that strikes me immediately, an exploration of form, perhaps. Curator: Indeed, note the strategic use of negative space; it defines the subject as much as the pencil strokes themselves. Given the context of its time, representations of horses were heavily codified, often linked to equestrian portraiture and aristocratic power. Bemme here seems less concerned with celebrating the animal than with capturing its very essence with limited media. Editor: It strikes me as almost an academic exercise. Note the economy of line, the way the light glances across the horse’s musculature. Is this preparation for a larger composition, I wonder? The structural integrity here, how forms assemble, is quite compelling. Curator: That’s certainly a possibility. The social function of art at the time would place drawing firmly as preliminary work to monumental paintings. However, let’s not overlook that drawings could also function within intimate social settings; a prized addition to a private collection meant for leisurely enjoyment. How does the sketch speak beyond functionality, though? Editor: If we abstract the representation, observe how line weights contribute to creating a focal point. There is the deep concentration in the eye, but this disappears quickly into an impression. Note also how it reflects a Romantic preoccupation, the artist almost struggling with rendering raw feeling onto paper. It possesses affect through line itself. Curator: Exactly! A formal reduction serves emotional expression; an act which also serves as commentary on existing systems of artistic patronage and the power structures inherent within artistic commissions. Editor: A curious tension remains: its artistic lineage weighed against artistic liberty through process. In its incompleteness is an eloquent statement of line. Curator: A work not of ultimate statement but of powerful transition, its very location here a complex negotiation. Editor: Very well put. I've enjoyed examining its forms with you.