Studieblad met figuren, armen, handen en bomen c. 1840 - 1860

Editor: So, this is "Studieblad met figuren, armen, handen en bomen," a drawing by Charles Rochussen, dating from around 1840 to 1860. It's done in pencil on paper and is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes me immediately is the intimate glimpse into the artist’s working process. How would you approach understanding this piece? Curator: As a materialist, my gaze falls first upon the tools and the surface itself. We see pencil on paper, the most immediate means of translating thought into image. The paper is relatively unadorned, cheap even – the kind of surface meant for quick studies, not a final 'masterpiece'. It’s raw, it’s utilitarian. Editor: Utilitarian, yes, I see that. What does this tell us about the social context of art-making at the time? Curator: Precisely. Rochussen is providing us with a window into the often unseen labor of the artist. It is through these sketches, these experiments, that 'high art' is ultimately produced. Furthermore, the sketch encompasses varied elements – figures, studies of arms, and rudimentary renderings of nature. He explores them independently of each other, giving it the impression of fragmented labor and focus. Editor: Fragmented, in what sense? Curator: Each section appears separated, giving us an implicit social critique of mass production: multiple iterations with different components until perfection is attained. We are, after all, at the beginning of full blown industrial revolution. Are those depictions of hands meant to symbolize industrial working class? Is the inclusion of landscape meant to draw comparisons? Editor: So you see the means of production even in what might seem like a simple preparatory sketch. Curator: Absolutely. The accessibility and unpretentiousness of pencil on paper reveal a democratization of art. It suggests an art practice deeply entwined with observation, experimentation, and a consciousness of its own making. Editor: That makes me appreciate the raw nature of this sketch so much more, knowing that it reveals the usually obscured aspects of art creation!