Boer met twee ploegende paarden 1886

Curator: Pieter de Josselin de Jong created this genre scene entitled “Boer met twee ploegende paarden,” or “Farmer with two plowing horses” around 1886. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Bleak! A heavy sense of toil conveyed through dense, almost frantic lines. The near absence of light really amplifies the sense of struggle and weariness. Curator: Notice how the artist uses solely pencil and ink to generate a landscape filled with laborious symbolism. Consider the horses, their musculature barely suggested by the rapid, chaotic strokes of ink, and the faceless farmer… What readings emerge from these? Editor: Horses often signify labor, harnessed power, and drive. Here, though, they are rendered somewhat indistinct, suggesting a loss of individual identity, absorbed by unending agrarian labour. The farmer is also interesting – turned away from the viewer, stripped of his individuality. This raises questions about dehumanization. Curator: The density of the mark-making is compelling. It appears that the medium embodies the message: an apt illustration of relentless, repetitive labor through its physical rendering. How does the perspective influence the interpretation? Editor: It’s a very close perspective, putting us almost in the field, feeling the weight of the soil, the immensity of the task. This intimacy invites a more visceral response to themes of work and survival, reflecting the late 19th-century social realism movement. Curator: Indeed, de Jong’s command of tonal variation achieves this intense vision by applying densely layered, dark, and anxious markings, capturing an exhausting tableau of the physical human experience. Editor: It is a strong social commentary, revealing layers of hardship embedded in the agrarian cycle, yet rendered with remarkable skill. A truly memorable work. Curator: Absolutely, Pieter de Josselin de Jong has presented not just a picture but a symbol for many societal realities.