Schets van een man 1636 - 1679

Curator: Looking at this drawing, I’m struck by the immediacy of the rendering—the hatching is so confident. Editor: I agree; the lines are beautifully rendered, evoking a kind of ephemeral solemnity. Shall we introduce our listeners to the artwork? This is "Schets van een man" – "Sketch of a Man" – created sometime between 1636 and 1679, and it's attributed to Jan Steen. It resides here in the Rijksmuseum and is an ink and pencil drawing. Curator: And indeed, considering the period during which Steen worked, one cannot ignore that this would have been an era profoundly influenced by social upheaval across class and creed in the Netherlands. Here, the sketchy yet somehow realistic features imply more than mere artistry at work. Do you not find it redolent of the shifting sociopolitical quicksand which marked the landscape back then? Editor: Absolutely, yet while contextual background helps, my reading focuses primarily on its visual language: the contrast of light and shadow, the way the pencil captures texture. The quick strokes convey energy, despite the calm demeanor suggested in the subject. There’s also the use of visual rhyming here; look at how shapes are reiterated in different scales throughout the figure! Curator: I agree, and thinking of the material at hand; pencil being a fairly accessible medium would likely speak of either wealth if he were commissioned, or of democratic reach within that historical context. We are possibly gazing at accessibility of image production among groups largely left voiceless. It is that much more precious considering who often gets written into history: a history this very museum has participated in. Editor: These faint yet powerfully confident lines open an interesting window to the artist's process, revealing that very moment of creation. Ultimately, however, what it reveals rests with our individual interpretation of Steen’s hand at play. Curator: Indeed, the interplay of material access coupled with human agency offers up compelling perspectives even today!