Drie soldaten op het slagveld 1809 - 1837

Curator: This pencil drawing, titled "Drie soldaten op het slagveld," or "Three Soldiers on the Battlefield," comes to us from the hand of Pieter Bartholomeusz. Barbiers and dates to sometime between 1809 and 1837. What strikes you about this print, here in the Rijksmuseum? Editor: Well, I'm immediately hit by the stillness. Even on a battlefield, you find these strange pockets of calm. Like a held breath, y’know? The muted tones really underscore that feeling too. It is haunting and tender. Curator: Indeed, the almost monochromatic palette emphasizes form and tonal gradations. Observe how Barbiers uses the pencil to create varied textures—from the smooth uniforms to the rough terrain. This contrast animates the image, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, and the light! The way it falls across the soldiers’ faces...almost as if it is judging them. One lies prone, perhaps injured, while the other two appear to confer, oblivious to the potential horrors of war that await them. It reminds you of youthful hubris clashing against mortality. Curator: Precisely. And note how Barbiers employs a classical compositional structure. The figures are arranged in a triangular form, directing the eye towards the center and imbuing the scene with a sense of order, even amidst chaos. It is a narrative of the theater of war reduced to almost classical choreography. Editor: But, despite that imposed order, you still get the human mess of it all. The weight of their packs, their worried glances... that makes it intensely personal. It’s as if Barbiers wants us to see beyond the heroism to the men beneath. A poignant dance with death. Curator: Well articulated. Barbiers indeed successfully marries formal artistic concerns with the grim realities faced by those on the battlefield. A synthesis of aesthetics and experience, wouldn't you say? Editor: Right, it all creates an atmosphere that makes me want to whisper, or weep. It makes you think about the quiet moments snatched within conflict. Thank you for highlighting how he wove it all together!