Porcelain 1906 - 1945

Curator: This is "Porcelain", a drawing likely created between 1906 and 1945 and held at the Rijksmuseum. It uses colored pencil to depict what seems to be a bowl of fruit, or perhaps even a study for a design, given the word "Porcelain" written at the bottom. There’s something quite delicate and tentative about the drawing style. What jumps out at you? Editor: The textures are pretty unique, and I’m intrigued by its almost blueprint-like aesthetic – it's a finished piece, but there is an element of the industrial plan that is fascinating. Given your expertise, how would you approach thinking about this drawing? Curator: I'd start by focusing on the materials. It’s "just" colored pencil on paper, right? But think about what that *means* historically. Cheap, readily available materials open up artmaking to different social classes. This isn't oil paint for the elite. Coloured pencils allowed for more affordable and accessible forms of art and design to be made. Editor: So, the choice of material levels the playing field? Democratizes the artistic process, perhaps? Curator: Exactly. And the design itself hints at production, doesn't it? "Porcelain" suggests not just a beautiful object, but a manufactured one, made through a specific industrial process. This drawing highlights the relationship between art, design, and commodity culture of the time. What do you think about that? Editor: I never considered colored pencils having so much to say, it challenges the assumed distinction between "high art" and everyday materials, drawing attention to the conditions of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely! It allows us to view the design of everyday items, like porcelain, as having inherent artistic and social value. Editor: Thank you, that's really changed how I view not only this piece, but art in general!