Twee schelpen verzamelende meisjes op het strand 1873 - 1928

Editor: This is "Two Girls Collecting Shells on the Beach" by Jan Toorop, dated sometime between 1873 and 1928. It's a pencil drawing, and it strikes me as a very casual, intimate scene. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the use of pencil, a relatively inexpensive and readily available material, to depict a seemingly everyday scene. What does this choice of medium, in itself, say about accessibility and the blurring of lines between the professional artist and the amateur, perhaps? Editor: I hadn’t thought about the pencil itself as being a conscious choice, something that democratizes artmaking. Curator: Precisely! Toorop's choice, his method of production, also directs our attention to the social context: working class people enjoying a simple pastime and leisure at the beach. The act of collecting shells becomes labor, in a way. The drawing emphasizes the raw materials themselves, not idealizing its subjects, but placing the activity within a framework of production and material consumption. It’s not just a pretty picture, is it? Editor: Definitely. Seeing the connection between artistic process and the wider social implications opens up the artwork's significance. Did these girls' families rely on beach findings, maybe selling shells to tourists? Curator: An intriguing line of thought! That would deepen our reading, understanding the exploitation of natural resources and local communities during that period, especially concerning rising tourism. Toorop’s focus shifts the discussion beyond a pleasant scene and invites questions about social stratification, even exploitation. Editor: It gives you so much more to think about than just what you see on the surface. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. The material reality always shapes, and is shaped by, the art object.