Ruiters met paarden 1839 - 1915

Editor: Okay, let's talk about "Ruiters met paarden," which translates to "Riders with Horses." It's an etching, dating somewhere between 1839 and 1915, by Cornelis Albertus Johannes Schermer. I'm immediately struck by the kind of hazy, dreamlike quality of it. What draws your eye when you look at this, knowing it's Schermer? Curator: Oh, Schermer! With him, I feel like I’m peering into a memory, almost a ghostly echo of a life lived amongst horses. You feel it too, right? That ethereal quality? The etching itself, it’s like a dance of light and shadow. Notice how he uses these delicate lines to suggest movement—the restless energy of the horses, the playful skip of the dog—but it also gives everything a very unfinished feel, somehow. Editor: It’s interesting you say "unfinished," because I see that haziness as creating a distance. The artist almost intentionally obscuring the scene so it is like memory fading… Were these types of pastoral scenes a popular theme at the time? Curator: Yes, these genre scenes – capturing everyday life, particularly in the countryside - held a lot of cultural cache. It's easy for us to overlook how radical painting "real life" actually was at the time! People really did yearn for simpler, often romanticized depictions of life outside cities... a respite from increasing industrialization, I guess. Now, can you detect the presence of symbolism? Editor: Well, I see horses, dogs, riders…are you asking if there are possible deeper metaphors here? Curator: Precisely! In art, horses could be symbols of status and strength but also the burden of labor. Dogs could mean faithfulness, but the symbolism wasn't ever standard practice, of course, it depended entirely on the artist and era. Schermer clearly loved capturing animals…I get a whimsical sensibility. I think he noticed the innate spirit and beauty. I learn so much just observing how they are posed and drawn! What do you think? Editor: I see what you mean. There’s definitely something charming about the sketchiness; the artist is not taking himself too seriously. Now I also see how that evokes the energy that those horses must have. Thanks for pointing that out!