Twee studies naar Egyptische muurschilderingen 1874 - 1925

These two studies after Egyptian murals were made by Jan Veth, in pencil and watercolor. Veth was a man of letters, well-known as a poet, critic, and portraitist, and here he puts his draughtsmanship to work in service of art history. The use of pencil is particularly telling; it's a humble material, unassuming in its capacity for detailed description. In the bottom half of the sheet, you can see how Veth painstakingly captures the contours of figures from an Egyptian tomb. His goal is to document, to preserve, to create a record. There is a direct connection between this kind of labor and the work of archeologists, Egyptologists, and other specialists. It is a reminder that all forms of creative work are in some way a contribution to our understanding of the past, and the present. Veth does not try to embellish or improve, only to convey what he sees. In doing so, he elevates observation to an art form in its own right.