Hoofd van een paard 1763 - 1808

Editor: This drawing, "Hoofd van een paard" or "Head of a Horse" by Floris Croese, was created sometime between 1763 and 1808 using pen on paper. I'm immediately drawn to the intricate hatching and the almost frenzied energy of the lines. What aspects of this work stand out to you? Curator: Well, let’s think about the materiality here. Pen on paper…seemingly simple, right? But consider the paper itself – its source, production, and availability during Croese's time. Paper wasn’t always readily available; it was a commodity. So, what does it say about Croese's access to materials, his social standing, if he could create this? Editor: That’s a really interesting point. I hadn’t thought about paper itself being indicative of social status back then. Does the style, the “realism” the tags point to, play into that at all? Curator: Absolutely! Realism here, while seemingly straightforward, points to a specific mode of production, a painstaking process. Croese wasn't just slapping down lines; he was engaging with a tradition, perhaps a demand, for accurate representation. Think about the labor involved! The repetitive action of applying ink to paper. What were his working conditions? Was this a commissioned piece? How did that potentially shape the final product? Editor: So, you're suggesting that even in a simple drawing of a horse's head, we can uncover layers about the artist's life, social context, and the means of production at the time? Curator: Precisely! It challenges the romanticized notion of the lone genius, divorced from the everyday realities of material constraints and social expectations. This image isn’t just about the horse, it's about the hands that drew it and the world they inhabited. Editor: That's really insightful! I'll definitely look at art differently, thinking about the labor and materials behind even the simplest-looking pieces. Curator: Excellent! It is by examining these aspects we get a fuller sense of both art and social history, all in one simple horse head.