Bronzen sculptuur van een samoerai 1883

Editor: This is a fascinating etching by Félix Hilaire Buhot, made in 1883, called "Bronzen sculptuur van een samoerai," or "Bronze Sculpture of a Samurai" in English. The samurai figure on horseback really stands out – there’s such detail despite the monochrome palette. What particularly grabs your attention when you look at it? Curator: Well, it’s more than just the samurai, isn't it? It’s Buhot engaging with Japonisme, that craze for all things Japanese that swept through Europe. Think of it as Buhot painting a love letter to Japanese art, in a way. This work reminds me a lot of a haiku—a moment captured, where less is more. You have the fan, those tantalizing snippets of Japanese script, almost whispering stories we can’t quite grasp. And isn't it interesting that it’s called a “bronze sculpture” but rendered in an etching? A question of translation, maybe? What do you make of the "sculpture" label? Editor: That’s interesting – it does feel a bit like a copy of something, but with Buhot’s own twist. I suppose an etching might’ve been seen as more accessible, reaching a wider audience who couldn’t afford actual bronze. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps he wanted to bring that heroic ideal, so central to the samurai image, into more homes, but tinged with his own romantic, slightly melancholic sensibility. It feels… intimate. Like he’s inviting us to ponder not just the power, but the fragility of that image, that moment in time. There's such a delicate balance in his marks, almost as if he doesn’t wish to make definitive strokes but suggestions. What mark does it leave on you? Editor: I didn’t expect to find such softness in an image of a samurai, but it makes it feel much more human. Curator: Indeed! Perhaps that's what art does best – showing us unexpected facets, prompting us to look at the world with fresher eyes. Editor: I'll certainly look more closely at etchings from now on. There’s clearly a whole world hidden beneath the surface.