Liggende kat, naar rechts 1821 - 1891

Curator: It’s funny how the simplest drawings can sometimes say the most. This is "Liggende kat, naar rechts"—or "Lying Cat, to the Right"—by Guillaume Anne van der Brugghen, probably done sometime between 1821 and 1891. Editor: It looks so…furtive, doesn't it? Like a quick glimpse caught of a feline fugitive. The way the pencil is scratched into the paper gives it a nervous energy. Curator: I think "furtive" is a good word for it. This piece most likely came from a personal sketchbook; it has the air of being sketched in a moment, on the fly. It's immediacy. Editor: Right, a captured moment. I see that the sketch's value is in capturing the "first draft" of thought more so than in technique itself. I like the contrast of materials used – rough paper against delicate, intentional marks left behind with a pencil. It makes me think about the artist’s physical labor of producing the piece; their hand, the pencil, the movement. I imagine he must have also had other work going at the same time. Curator: Yes, and probably loved the quick shift from serious studio work to these small, delightful studies. It feels very intimate somehow, peeking into the artist's private observations. I love that about sketchbooks; it feels like rifling through someone’s very soul, if that doesn't sound too grand! Editor: Not at all. To me, sketchbooks like this represent a direct intersection between an artist’s labour, daily life, and materials available. How the means of creation and consumption influence our perspectives is such an appealing conversation within the art world. Curator: Exactly. The materials tell a story on their own. Editor: Well, that definitely gives me some extra ideas to consider when I'm next sketching from life – the labor of observing! Curator: And for me, a reminder to keep my eyes open to beauty in the briefest of moments.