Kop van een geit 1899 - 1920

Curator: Up next we have a captivating study: Jan Mankes's "Head of a Goat," dating between 1899 and 1920. It's a pencil drawing. What springs to mind for you? Editor: Its bleary-eyed stare feels heavy, like a melancholy ballad sung just before dawn. Is it the simple, almost stark rendering? I'm immediately drawn in by the gentleness with which Mankes treats his subject, although one might typically expect this rendering with say, a prize bull! Curator: I completely agree; it has a haunting simplicity. Mankes had a fascination with animals. He depicted them not as specimens, but individuals with their own dignity. This connects, of course, to broader trends from the period: early 20th century art sought an innocent sincerity often through rural themes. It rejected industrialized society in its rapid progression. Editor: Almost a sort of yearning... did he spend time around them? The details are almost forensic. But you can feel his empathy for this animal and, yes, his tenderness. See the short, soft strokes that give shape to its furry features. But how would this image play at the time? Was there context that gave added weight to these images? Curator: Given that Mankes lived mostly in the countryside, we may interpret that his immediate environs played an integral role in developing this style. While there was already the "back-to-nature" movement brewing, a move away from city life to an engagement in landscape or animals for example was now increasingly being shown in art. His animal studies speak to the need for sincerity through observation as his images tend to do away with narrative. Editor: It almost becomes an extension of the artist through nature, that empathy of connection. How refreshing! But sad, to think it represents the mood of that period. Curator: Absolutely. Perhaps next time you encounter a goat, you will now pause to reflect on what it might have to say! Editor: No doubt. This portrait certainly moved me; I'm tempted to pick up a pencil myself.