Vrijheid 1875 - 1900

Curator: Ah, yes. This piece is titled "Vrijheid," which translates to "Freedom." It's a pencil drawing by Jan de Waardt, made sometime between 1875 and 1900, and currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Right away, I get a sense of somber hope from this drawing. It feels like these figures are standing on the precipice of something momentous. Is it the calm before the storm, perhaps? Curator: It certainly holds a tension. You have two figures gazing out towards the horizon where the word “Vrijheid” is written as though in the sky itself, hovering over what looks like a river cutting through the landscape. It’s rendered in these incredibly delicate pencil lines, giving it this ethereal quality. Editor: The placement of the word itself feels significant. As if freedom is a destination, an almost mythical endpoint to a very tangible journey. But a journey that will likely be harsh, given the figures’ heavy clothing and the desolate land. And, then you’ve got the signpost that declares “Ni Dieu, Ni Maître”. No god, no master. Curator: Indeed. It suggests a rejection of established authority, doesn’t it? I can’t help but feel drawn to the figure raising his hand – whether in defiance or to emphasize his point, is open to interpretation. The detail in their posture makes them seem so present, so...determined. Editor: Absolutely. That phrase, coupled with the beckoning horizon and title “Freedom”, reeks of anarchist thought, or at least a fervent desire for self-determination in a time of vast empires. I wonder if the artist personally aligned with these anti-authoritarian philosophies. Curator: Possibly. He was living in a period of tremendous social and political change. These lines, those choices of composition – it is speaking volumes, even without colour! I feel a kind of quiet strength radiating from this seemingly simple drawing. It makes me wonder what they expect to find there, under that radiant “Vrijheid”? Editor: And if the freedom they seek can ever truly exist. Is freedom an external goal, or an internal state? This artwork, so aptly named, encourages us to contemplate our own conceptions of freedom, individually and collectively. What chains are we fighting? Which horizons beckon? It’s a stark reflection, really. Curator: Well, this image invites us into their searching moment. That shared horizon; where the pencil strokes fade away and all of those questions bloom and mingle like the mists there.