Studieblad, onder andere met een figuur op een paardenkar c. 1873

Editor: This is "Studieblad, onder andere met een figuur op een paardenkar" by Johannes Bosboom, from around 1873, a drawing done in pencil on paper currently residing in the Rijksmuseum. The sketch-like nature really makes me think about the mundane, almost capturing daily routines. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: The rapid execution is key. Look at the quality of the paper itself. The tooth of the paper has taken the graphite in varying ways, allowing for depth and tone despite being just a sketch. Editor: That's true! You can really see the texture, which seems intentional. Curator: Absolutely. It’s about the economics of image-making at this time. Bosboom uses readily available materials – paper, pencil – tools of labor and industry adapted for artistic practice. He's recording the visible, tangible world around him. Editor: How does that affect how we see the figures he depicts? Curator: Well, consider the horse-drawn cart. It's not idealized. It speaks of labor, transport, the necessities of life for the working class. The emphasis is on the real, the immediate material conditions of life in the 19th century. Are you noticing any relationship between those subjects and the material limitations, and thus, aesthetic choices present in this particular medium? Editor: That’s fascinating – it really connects the art to the everyday experience in a tangible way. Seeing art as a product of both skill and circumstance adds a lot of depth to the piece for me. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about art this way can tell us much about how value is constructed. It reveals underlying conditions.