Vier paarden 1891 - 1941

Curator: Leo Gestel created "Vier paarden," or "Four Horses," using ink on drawing paper sometime between 1891 and 1941. It's currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is the bold simplicity of it! The linear quality really emphasizes the material presence of the ink itself. Curator: I find it intriguing how the work intersects with societal shifts regarding our relationship with animals. Considering the era, do you think it romanticizes or idealizes these creatures? Editor: Perhaps a bit of both, though it's restrained. It steers clear of overtly sentimental gestures, relying more on formal qualities like the varying thicknesses of lines to grant weight. Curator: Interesting! I also wonder about the symbol of the horse itself—Historically they have served in various societal contexts from agricultural to industrial. Does this work, for you, bring any specific connotations to mind? Editor: I'm less inclined toward symbolic interpretations, especially when dealing with depictions of animals. For me, it's more about how Gestel utilized his medium to convey movement and volume without excessive details. It's about line, mass, and paper. Curator: I do appreciate that! From my perspective, it speaks volumes about identity and gender roles—the historical roles and power assigned to each animal. Do you think these clean geometric shapes subvert expectations about these roles, or do they uphold them? Editor: That’s compelling. The geometric treatment is interesting. Are you seeing some level of alienation created by the reduction of form? Because if so, it runs in parallel with alienation produced by factory lines, with labor extracted in favor of optimized throughput, devoid of craft. Curator: Yes, exactly! Gestel really pushes the boundaries between fine art and commercialized art forms by imbuing it with strong gender roles of that era. Editor: So, for you, its commentary. I’m interested in how the print might democratize distribution of Gestel’s idea through reproduction, thus shifting labor of reception to mass culture and altering its commodity value. Curator: It truly gives so much to think about—identity, societal structure, industrial shift and the link between art and labor! Editor: It's fascinating to think about all the things going on within Gestel’s deceptively simplistic strokes of ink, and the different viewpoints and perspectives we can see!