Het Oude Licht, 1796 1795 - 1796

Curator: Ah, here we have Pieter van Woensel’s “Het Oude Licht,” created around 1795-1796. It’s a pen, watercolor and colored pencil drawing. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as darkly whimsical. The use of aged paper creates this slightly unnerving feel. Curator: The drawing belongs to a larger personal sketchbook. Considering the era and its medium of sketchbook art, Van Woensel seems to be engaging with societal satire. What are your thoughts on that reading? Editor: I see your point. Note how the materials—pen, ink, and watercolor—lend themselves to quick, portable social commentary, probably not meant for formal display initially. Look at the layers: the aged paper speaks to a certain temporality, a material record of observations. Curator: The simian figures are the most striking element here. The central figure is dressed as a judge, complete with wig, but clearly bestial. How do you think the artist viewed the judiciary? Editor: Given the period and artistic tropes, I suspect there's commentary on those in power, their perceived intelligence or lack thereof. Consider too, the monkey dressed in human clothes, this creates the immediate thought of questioning human knowledge. Curator: Precisely. Now look at the donkey, also a figure of stubbornness or stupidity, being prompted by the reading monkey, is the rule of law really the most sensible decision when the donkey would prefer another thing? This is all a pointed social commentary of this specific point in history! Editor: The placement within a sketchbook offers clues, too. This piece, with its detailed lines achieved through varied materials, hints at artmaking as both labor and intellectual work. What's worth noticing here is what materials enable—cheap accessible production lends itself to biting commentary, without concerns of expensive material preservation. Curator: Ultimately, this little sketch, born from accessible materials, gives us so much to unpack about artmaking and social commentary during the late 18th century. Editor: I agree. From the paper to the ink, and the figures portrayed, the social milieu shines through its materials, creating not just an image but an artifact of its time.