Vliegtuig van de gebroeders Wright in vlucht before 1913

Editor: This drawing, “Vliegtuig van de gebroeders Wright in vlucht,” made before 1913, depicts the Wright brothers' plane in flight using pencil on paper. It has this postcard aesthetic and the landscape feels both innovative and a little dreamlike. What do you see in this piece, and how does it speak to its time? Curator: This image, with its delicate lines, offers us more than just a record of early aviation. The pencil medium itself is key. Pencil allowed for accessible representation during a time of immense societal shift. We see an attempt at documenting technological advancement and also a desire to make that progress more palatable. Editor: Palatable how? Curator: The very act of creating an easily distributable image makes progress feel more communal. We see that further emphasized by the stamp—art becomes a kind of propaganda. What do you make of the forest depicted at the bottom of the postcard? Editor: Well, to me it creates a strong contrast. Nature versus technology...almost like it's emphasizing man's conquest. Curator: Exactly. Think about the political and social implications of ‘conquering’ the sky. Air travel opens possibilities for trade, exploration, and, of course, warfare. It becomes an act of claiming space, literally and figuratively, especially when linked with colonialism at the turn of the century. It mirrors broader power structures already in play. Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t thought about it in terms of spatial conquest. Curator: Considering this work alongside discussions of technology, power, and representation truly reveals the intersections within art and social progress, and, indeed, regression. Editor: It’s amazing how much one can unpack from a simple pencil drawing. Curator: Precisely. The drawing gives us both an object for the popular consumption of technology, and also shows a piece with deep cultural impact.