Ossenwagen met een blok steen erop 1841 - 1857

Johan Daniël Koelman made this sketch of an ox-drawn cart carrying a block of stone, using graphite on paper. This straightforward application belies the drawing's social context. Consider the inherent qualities of the materials depicted: the weight and density of the stone, the rough-hewn timber of the cart, the brute strength of the oxen. Koelman captures the scene with quick, economical strokes, yet one can sense the immense labor involved in quarrying, transporting, and building with stone. The drawing, in its very medium and manner, speaks to a specific social reality. Koelman asks us to think about the amount of work involved in such a process, which in turn prompts questions about who performs this work, and under what conditions. By highlighting such considerations, we start to see the interconnectedness of material, making, and context.