Vijf kaketoes zittend op een boomtak before 1892

Curator: This engraving, crafted before 1892 by de Groot, is titled “Vijf kaketoes zittend op een boomtak”—“Five Cockatoos Sitting on a Branch.” Editor: Ah, a flock of feathered philosophers, it seems. There’s something rather melancholic about this grouping—they're huddling together as though warding off a chill, maybe even a deep existential dread. The texture gives it this quality; they appear almost vulnerable in their detailed rendering. Curator: The cross-hatching gives the piece such incredible depth! You can practically feel the roughness of the branch they perch upon. And consider the implications of depicting cockatoos – a species so often commodified and caged – in the context of late 19th-century colonialism and the exoticization of the "other." Editor: That’s a strong point. These aren't simply birds; they become potent symbols of displacement, alienation, and the disruption of natural habitats, even though the branch gives a strong grounding and safety from being too exposed to the outside environment. Are they aware of it, are they happy with it, or not. The choice of a seemingly objective realistic style doesn’t obscure these interpretations. The piece also feels unfinished in a way— intentionally or unintentionally making it that much more contemplative. It lacks some details of completion, just the way colonial times felt to natives, and still do. Curator: It almost seems like Groot invites us to consider these birds’ own perspectives on their surroundings – if indeed they’re still “surroundings” and not enclosures by the time this drawing comes to be. This piece makes you feel a certain disquiet – a discomfort in observing that shifts our perception towards something bigger. We go from simply seeing a drawing to questioning the reality. Editor: And, there's this palpable sense of collective consciousness – they share something. As birds that travel in a flock, you feel this communal sense of responsibility as one body on one shared goal. The way de Groot depicts this consciousness speaks of so much pain, that translates to their displacement during those periods in time. Their feathers feel a certain darkness about it as if reflecting this internal trauma. It’s beautiful, even painful, that you get the emotions of collective consciousness here through what is depicted in this drawing. Curator: This work reminds us to see the world not just from our human viewpoint, but through the experiences of creatures whose lives are deeply entwined with our own histories. Thank you. Editor: A sobering thought, rendered with surprising intimacy and tenderness. The silence these birds invite is actually screaming at a deep existential trauma. Something very haunting lingers there.