Rit van de cavalerie 1831 - 1904

Editor: This is "Rit van de cavalerie" which roughly translates to "Cavalry Ride," created sometime between 1831 and 1904 by Arnoud Schaepkens. It's a pencil drawing, a simple sketch really. What strikes me most is its raw, almost unfinished quality. What do you make of it? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the materiality of the piece: the starkness of pencil on paper. The economic conditions would certainly have dictated Schaepkens' choices of media. This work highlights a means of artistic production tied directly to resources and accessibility. Consider, also, the repetitive nature of the subject—the line of cavalrymen. Editor: Repetitive? I hadn’t thought of it that way. Curator: Indeed. Are we meant to focus on the individual riders or their collective purpose as a military unit? Could the quick pencil strokes and numerous similar figures speak to the mass mobilization and deployment characteristic of military actions in the 19th century? The materials and methods arguably reflect, comment on, and maybe even critique social and industrial conditions. Editor: So, you are saying it is about the artist using his materials to illustrate how society used people as materials? Curator: Precisely. The artist isn’t just depicting a cavalry; he is potentially commenting on the industrialization and standardization of human activity in service to power. Editor: That gives me a totally different way to view the sketch. I was too focused on the individual craftsmanship initially! Curator: Understanding the social and material conditions can change our whole understanding of art, doesn't it?