Luipaard, beer en wolf (Firapeel, Bruun en Isegrim) 1910

This watercolor, ‘Leopard, Bear and Wolf’ was made by Bernard Willem Wierink, in the late 19th or early 20th century. It’s a great example of the artist’s illustrative style, blending naturalism with fairytale elements. Look closely and you'll see the delicate washes of color, applied with great precision to create depth and texture, particularly in the animals' fur. This technique requires not only artistic skill but also a deep understanding of the medium itself, and its potential for expressive mark-making. The labor involved in a work like this is easy to overlook, but it speaks to a different kind of value, one tied to the time and skill of the artist. The choice of watercolor reflects an intention to create an intimate object. Unlike the grand scale of oil painting, watercolor lends itself to smaller, more personal formats. So, when we look at this work, we are also seeing a reflection of broader cultural values and assumptions about art, skill, and labor. Hopefully, you will appreciate how the materials and processes of making shape not only the appearance of this work, but also its meaning.