De heldendaden van Jan Kwastel 1894 - 1959

Editor: We're looking at "De heldendaden van Jan Kwastel," or "The heroic deeds of Jan Kwastel", a drawing created between 1894 and 1959, here in the Rijksmuseum. The drawing presents as a sequence of vignettes reminiscent of early comic strips. What is particularly interesting to you about the formal qualities of this work? Curator: Thank you. One could begin with the organization of the pictorial plane. The composition adheres to a grid-like structure, each scene compartmentalized yet narratively linked. How do the individual frames interact, would you say, with the overall structure of the drawing? Editor: Well, I notice how each scene uses similar color palettes—lots of reds, yellows, and blues—which create a sense of visual continuity across the whole page. Curator: Precisely. And note the deliberate simplicity in rendering human forms; lines are clean and contours sharp, flattening the figures. Consider the relationship between text and image. Are these simply illustrations for pre-existing text? Editor: It seems more intertwined than that. The font, placement and sizing seems intended as part of the visual storytelling. Do you agree with that? Curator: Indeed. It also worth thinking of how the work flattens and formalises the expression of emotion. The caricatures aren't about accurate or realistic rendering, but about stylised affect and affectation. It's very artificial, yet, what purpose does it play? Editor: Perhaps it's this heightened stylization, the caricatured forms, and deliberate palette that make the narrative engaging, almost like stage acting, distancing us from any specific setting. I really hadn’t considered how many layers were working together. Curator: Indeed, analysing these works gives new ways of perceiving it.