Figuren en beroepen 1822 - 1849

Curator: Welcome. This is Figuren en beroepen, or Figures and Professions, created between 1822 and 1849 by Jan de Lange II, currently at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: This print feels like a study, a survey even. I see all these small, almost miniature scenes depicting people at work, various jobs... It's really fascinating. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Structurally, the grid immediately grabs my attention. Each figure is meticulously contained within its own rectilinear space. The artist is deliberately segmenting the overall plane. Consider how the minimal use of colour—the blues, reds, and yellows—functions primarily to differentiate each profession and add a touch of variety without disrupting the print’s uniform structure. What purpose do you think such structural arrangement serve to viewers? Editor: It makes the figures easily comparable to each other? It’s a way of classifying and organizing different jobs. Almost scientific. Curator: Precisely. Notice also the simplification of form, each figure reduced to essential lines and shapes. The artist seems far more concerned with conveying information, categorising the occupation of labor as its core elements, rather than delving into emotional depth or narrative complexity. Editor: That's a good point. So, the print emphasizes the visual classification through form rather than detailed realistic figures. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on form and arrangement, de Lange seems intent on ordering and cataloguing. An early form of social data visualization. The visual vocabulary is one of strict functionalism, privileging clarity above all else. What does such form say to us as modern observers? Editor: It really strips away any romantic notions of labour, I guess. I was drawn to the cute figures, but I'm realizing it is more like a chart with an informative purpose. Curator: Well observed. The artwork, it seems, prioritized visual parsing over pictorial storytelling.