Elkaar omhelzende man en vrouw in historisch kostuum 1849 - 1917

Curator: This drawing, made with pencil, presents an embracing man and woman in historical attire. It is attributed to Matthijs Maris and its creation is estimated between 1849 and 1917. The work currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you about it? Editor: My initial impression is one of fragility. The pencil strokes are so delicate, almost hesitant, conveying a sense of tenderness but also of something ephemeral, a fleeting moment. It’s intriguing. Curator: The fragility certainly resonates with the materiality. Pencil on paper is inherently susceptible to damage and decay. Maris was known for his almost obsessive reworking of paintings, often leaving them with a cloudy, ethereal quality, a sense of loss or longing. We see this quality of obscured, hazy reworking here too. Editor: That speaks to the larger romanticism movement from which Maris' artmaking stems. Given its era, it makes me think about performance and power dynamics. Are these historical garments staging a reenactment of an unequal societal structure? It almost presents as a tableau vivant. Curator: That’s a sharp reading. We can think about clothing and its manufacturing then and consider the class dynamics involved in who had access to these garments. Consider also the means of acquiring pencil and paper during that time. These were mass-produced yet, they are now singular objects. Editor: Exactly, this also could be seen through the lens of portraiture—that through a romantic relationship there could be further access to land, capital, legacy. The image suggests a codependent dynamic. Curator: Absolutely, thinking through the social positionalities opens up complex issues here. Thank you for helping me examine it from these points of view. Editor: My pleasure, viewing this through various frameworks of identity has been incredibly enriching.