Paardenhoofd met open bek, naar rechts before 1841

Curator: This pencil drawing, whose creation is placed sometime before 1841, is titled “Horse Head with Open Mouth, Facing Right.” It’s attributed to Joannes Bemme and currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. What are your first impressions? Editor: My initial reaction is that the artist has masterfully captured tension through very controlled marks. The monochromatic palette concentrates attention on form and expression of the horse, whose anatomy has been expertly observed. The cropped composition emphasizes this. Curator: I agree. Look at the laid paper, and you will see how the tooth of that surface is used to give depth and variation to the shadows and rendering. Considering this was completed before 1841, it’s reasonable to think the paper was made locally, given transport limitations. Did the availability of those particular resources shape its production? Editor: That’s an interesting point to consider. The very deliberate lines around the horse's mouth, in contrast to the softer rendering of its mane, do suggest a conscious interplay of texture. It leads the eye precisely where the artist wants it to go to express how power bares itself in nature. I suppose, depending on how it was commissioned, that material constraints such as quality and scarcity would surely impinge. Curator: What might have been the role of horses in that period? The breeding industry, perhaps military use. Joannes might have even worked in a specialized atelier that mass-produced animal studies. What does the context of production tell us about its value? Editor: From a formal standpoint, I’m really drawn to the study of musculature in the horse's face. Observe how the hatching and cross-hatching build the subtle gradations in tone, shaping the illusion of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional plane. The controlled precision brings out an energy about to break free. The open mouth amplifies this tension, lending a raw, visceral quality. Curator: So, from our separate vantage points, it appears this drawing presents a captivating blend of technical mastery and emotive force. We find value through different lenses of interpretation that, nevertheless, manage to create dialogue. Editor: Absolutely. Seeing how social conditions impact what resources were made available is quite compelling but so, too, is admiring what these graphite materials achieved formally when arranged by a certain hand.