Blad N: tweeëntwintigste en drieëntwintigste praalwagen, 1767 1767

Curator: Here we have "Blad N: tweeëntwintigste en drieëntwintigste praalwagen," a work created in 1767 by Lieven Wouters. Editor: Immediately I'm struck by the energy, even contained in this monochrome scheme. It's all movement and elaborate display. What am I even looking at? It feels ceremonial. Curator: You've keyed into crucial elements. This is, in fact, a sketchbook drawing showing preliminary designs for floats. Note how Wouters employs a complex visual grammar here; line, hatching, and cross-hatching contribute to modeling figures, establishing tonal variations, and implying depth. The density is remarkable! Editor: The composition feels almost crammed, each section competing for attention. There's a playfulness though; figures teeter on what looks like sculpted crags and wave from atop elephants. Almost theatrical. And note the repetitive line of riders and horses below, a base line for the whole show, ready to drag this fantasy elsewhere! Curator: Exactly, and the floats themselves showcase elements of classical pageantry infused with a Rococo sensibility. If you look closely at figure 43 you can see that the lines of those figures seated on the upper tiers and being drawn on a low chariot imply some kind of spectacle narrative. Wouters achieves remarkable textural nuance with only pen and ink. Editor: It’s captivating. I keep wanting to unravel a particular thread of this composition, only to find myself pulled in by another flourish, another miniscule figure. What purpose could something so busy have served? Curator: These sketches reveal a glimpse into a specific cultural practice. The floats would’ve acted as mobile allegories for state power, social ideals, and communal narratives within a highly structured society. What is seemingly fantastical, has deep historical ties. Editor: Fascinating. And in turn, this sketchbook art lets us connect to the creative imagination required to conjure a world designed to wow! I now look at the seemingly rigid society of 1767 very differently indeed. Curator: Yes, that is why these drawings remain vital to this day: to explore the nuances of art history through something sketched with spontaneous intention.