Schetsboek met 26 bladen c. 1885 - 1911

Editor: So, here we have "Sketchbook with 26 pages," dating from around 1885 to 1911, by Jozef Israëls. It's a mix of drawings using pastel and coloured pencil on paper, and it’s held in the Rijksmuseum. Looking at it, I'm struck by the simplicity of the object itself. What jumps out at you? Curator: Well, I’m drawn to the materiality of this object. Consider the paper, the binding, the very labour involved in creating this book. These were readily available materials at the time. Yet, these "common" resources held potential, dictated by Israëls' intentions. How does the material shape our understanding of "high art," especially in light of these resources being widely accessible at that time? Editor: That’s a great point! Thinking about accessibility, does the nature of these everyday materials perhaps make it more relatable compared to something like oil on canvas during that period? Curator: Precisely. We need to consider the social context. What does it mean to choose paper and pencil, to capture these quick impressions rather than meticulously rendering grand paintings? It suggests a different kind of artistic labour, one potentially more democratic and immediate. How does its consumption play into its material relevance? Editor: So it's less about the artist's genius and more about how the artist engaged with available means to represent everyday life? It makes you think about the labour that went into creating it. Curator: Absolutely! The sketchbook invites us to consider the process of making, the choices in materials, and the relationship to a broader cultural landscape and marketplace, therefore moving beyond a focus solely on artistic genius or subject matter. Editor: That’s given me a whole new way to consider it, especially thinking about where these materials came from and who would have had access to them. Curator: Indeed. By understanding art through the lens of materiality, we start to see how these commonplace items hold layers of societal information.