Schetsboek met 34 bladen 1848 - 1888

Editor: Here we have "Sketchbook with 34 sheets," dating from 1848 to 1888 by Anton Mauve. It’s a mixed media drawing on paper, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The cover is so striking, almost like a marbled stone, giving it a weathered and aged feel. What can you tell me about this intriguing piece? Curator: Well, for starters, it’s not just *a* drawing, is it? It’s an intimate glimpse into an artist's process, more like holding a little world. To me, sketchbooks are secret gardens – a place for artists to experiment, fail, and discover. Anton Mauve probably carried this everywhere. Imagine the world unfolding before him, captured in fleeting sketches on these very pages! Editor: That makes it seem almost… alive. So, beyond just sketches, what do you think these pages hold? Curator: All sorts of treasures! I imagine quick landscapes dashed in watercolor, perhaps charcoal studies of figures he saw in the market. Think about what everyday life looked and felt like then, the sounds, smells. Each mark is a portal, isn’t it? Can you imagine him, frustrated maybe by one attempt, but triumphant with another? What would you hope to find in such a sketchbook if it were yours? Editor: I guess I’d hope to find a connection with Mauve, like I’m seeing the world through his eyes. To understand his inspirations. Curator: Exactly! And maybe a little bit of his humor too. Art is never just about skill; it’s about feeling, seeing, being. It’s all in here, captured on these pages, between those covers, which, by the way, look like the surface of some undiscovered planet! Editor: I never thought about a sketchbook that way before, as a personal landscape and a portal. It is more than just the drawings; it is about connecting to the artist and the world around them. Thanks for sharing!