Lijst van vogels in het achtste deel van de vogels 1809 - 1814

Curator: Looking at this, I immediately sense an ordered mind— everything is carefully listed and categorized. There's a calmness, a certain peace to it. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is an intriguing page from "List of Birds in the Eighth Volume of Birds," created by Joseph van Huerne between 1809 and 1814. It's an ink drawing on paper, exhibiting qualities that align with Neoclassical principles. Curator: Neoclassical, really? It just seems…functional at first glance. More like a beautifully handwritten inventory. The lines are clean, the script elegant. Where’s the emotion, the drama? Editor: It's less about overt emotion and more about rationality, clarity. Consider the precise script, the ordered columns—it's all about categorizing and understanding the natural world through reason, a key tenet of Neoclassicism. Note also the almost clinical rendering of detail through the use of line and shadow. Curator: I see your point. Still, the faint pencil drawings underneath – glimpses of the actual birds! It whispers of the artist's observation, their fascination. It bridges the gap between scientific record and personal study, in a very restrained way of course. Editor: Precisely. The drawing demonstrates that duality. The visible table imposed to list them is almost secondary to capturing what the bird represents, as though they exist solely as data points but are inherently living and organic, which contrasts against the rigidity of this scientific practice. The materiality of the piece also adds something here, too. Paper yellows with age, it stains. The impermanence of the earth contrasts to what is trying to be cataloged by the artist as being representative of nature. Curator: So, it is more than just a list of bird names. I mean, the selection and order become important as well. It's a curated view. The "artist" aspect peeks through again. Editor: Agreed. And, perhaps unexpectedly, seeing art this way, helps me understand those larger structures a little bit better. Thank you, Joseph. Curator: Likewise, I never thought about it that way, thank you.