Ein Arbeiter aus der _Großen Spinnerei von Edam_ c. 1894

Curator: What strikes me first is this pervasive feeling of...resignation, almost? Look at the way he's hunched over, his hands clasped tightly. He looks absolutely spent. Editor: That's an interesting starting point. We're looking at a pencil drawing here, created around 1894 by Rudolf Gudden. The title translates to "A Worker from the Great Spinning Mill of Edam". Curator: So, contextually, Edam was a major center for cheese production, but the title specifies a SPINNING mill. It’s pointing to a moment of intense industrial expansion. I see the artist’s interest in class, the labor. Look at his clothes – basic, functional. Those wooden clogs! Not exactly stylish. Editor: Those details definitely root him in a particular socio-economic stratum. The rapid, almost frantic pencil strokes communicate a certain urgency too, wouldn't you say? The composition is simple, direct; the artist clearly isn't trying to prettify anything. The materiality is crucial, a cheap drawing capturing an expensive history. Curator: Exactly! And yet, the almost sketch-like quality prevents the portrait from feeling completely objectified. Despite the subject’s apparent poverty, there’s a sense of respect in Gudden’s mark-making. The figure dominates the page too – that blank space amplifies his presence. I feel an element of... humanity transcending those circumstances. He’s just a man in difficult circumnstances, you see what I mean? Editor: Mmm, it makes one consider the historical interplay between art, industry and the commodification of human labor. The very act of depiction elevates him but is also enmeshed in systems of class and production of artwork. It seems to freeze and amplify the relentless cycle of production. Curator: This piece is very small; you could tuck it into your pocket. This intimacy lets us come to a new understanding about working class identity and pride. A lot of the older historical depictions focus only on rich people and aristocracy. Editor: Precisely, Rudolf Gudden used simple strokes to render this worker from the spinning mill. It provokes meaningful thought surrounding industrialization. Curator: Well, that was quick!