Landschap met een paard en wagen c. 1645 - 1681

Editor: This is Gerard ter Borch II’s “Landscape with a Horse and Cart”, created sometime between 1645 and 1681 using a humble pencil. The starkness of the graphite on paper evokes a feeling of the every-day, unromanticised view of the Dutch landscape. What are your thoughts on it? Curator: Looking at this drawing through a materialist lens, I’m drawn to the inherent tension between the depicted subject – a landscape – and the medium: pencil on paper. Ter Borch wasn’t just representing a scene; he was engaging with a developing artistic marketplace where drawings were increasingly commodities, valued for both study and sale. Notice how the fleeting, almost ephemeral quality of pencil contrasts with the enduring nature of land ownership and agricultural labor depicted. Editor: So, the choice of pencil transforms the perception of the scene? Curator: Precisely. Oil paint often symbolized wealth and permanence. But pencil suggests something more immediate, possibly a study for a larger painting. The ‘low’ material makes accessible and challenges what was seen as a more traditional, and elevated art form like painting. This piece can highlight labor - consider the labor to acquire the materials, create the image, and finally transport. Editor: I see. Considering your analysis, it is striking how the 'humbleness' of a landscape turns into a lens through which the materials of production affect the message, and class status is highlighted in that creative and commercial process. Curator: Indeed. By using pencil and focusing on the Dutch landscape, ter Borch positions himself within a specific market of artistic production and social class dynamics. Thinking about art in that socio-economic context is often revealing!