Studie 1710 - 1772

Editor: We're looking at "Studie," a pencil drawing on paper by Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot, created sometime between 1710 and 1772. The drawing presents an array of geometric shapes. The lines seem faint, almost hesitant. What catches your eye about it? Curator: Immediately, I consider the paper itself. What type was available to Van Reysschoot? Was it mass-produced, or handmade? These elements impacted the artwork, directing the choices that were made during production, including the texture, line weight and level of absorption with each stroke from the pencil. How did paper-making affect artistic output at this time? Editor: That's interesting. I wouldn't have thought about the impact of the *paper* itself so directly. I was too caught up in trying to decipher the drawing. Do you think it served some specific purpose? Curator: Perhaps. Look at the tentative quality of the pencil lines. It speaks to a moment of material exploration, an artist testing the properties of pencil on paper, maybe even reusing a costly material. Consider the cost of materials and how that might have informed artistic decisions. Was this sketch just as valuable, just as legitimate as the finalized version of an artwork at the time it was created? How do the materials themselves dictate the status? Editor: So, rather than looking for a hidden image, you're looking at what the artwork tells us about the practice and what it might suggest about class distinctions in the art world? Curator: Exactly. These explorations help bridge the gap between 'high art' and the everyday. Editor: I’m definitely going to look at sketches differently from now on! Thank you. Curator: Likewise, this approach also opens up how art might have been bought and sold and reused as time went on. Very insightful.