Oud paard bij een water staande 1788 - 1814

Curator: This sketch by Jan (II) Kobell, made between 1788 and 1814, depicts an old horse standing near water. It is created with pencil and pen and ink. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It has a melancholic feel, doesn't it? The horse looks weary, head bowed. The composition is interesting; so much open space above the animal. This emphasizes the animal's presence, making its weary stance more prominent. Curator: Precisely! Kobell’s use of line is critical here. Notice how the subtle cross-hatching defines the musculature and skeletal structure beneath the horse’s hide, particularly around the ribs and legs. Editor: It reminds me a bit of depictions of farm animals in genre painting during the Dutch Golden Age; the horse may symbolize labor or the natural world in service to humankind. What do you think of it, symbolically? Curator: Interesting. I find the artist uses the varying weights of line and subtle tonal gradations achieved by the pencil to delineate depth and form, but doesn't commit fully to rendering a traditional pictorial space; the blank sky and loosely indicated landscape reduce symbolic impact. The surface quality is quite stark; Kobell doesn't aim to create a realistic portrayal but, rather, explores form and light through a series of marks. Editor: But isn’t it fascinating how the positioning of the animal and the distant figures ploughing ground, create a continuous story about this beast? The symbol of labor and the romantic backdrop offer us the opportunity to meditate upon both physical strength and hard working, as values of the past. Curator: Perhaps, but I argue the primary emphasis remains on the formal qualities of the work, rather than on constructing a narrative. The contrast between the meticulously rendered horse and the vagueness in the landscape indicates Kobell was focused primarily on the possibilities within his technique. Editor: I see what you mean about the formal qualities, but it still conveys such a mood. All that negative space amplifies the sense of loneliness in the animal. Thank you for guiding me through these subtle aspects of Kobell’s artwork! Curator: And thank you for lending the insights into historical readings that enhance its narrative suggestions.