Opgeschrikte roofvogel before 1860

Curator: Before you is “Startled Bird of Prey,” a drawing executed in pencil by Martinus Antonius Kuytenbrouwer, Jr. sometime before 1860. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The sheer drama of this piece! That owl is about to fly right out of the paper and into our faces. I love how dynamic the composition is. You can almost feel the whoosh of its wings! Curator: Indeed! It captures a sense of imminent action, of suspended time just before a great leap, and there are interesting social interpretations here. The rendering might symbolize how the disruption and political volatility, say of the French revolution era, impact individual lives. Even on a creature as free as a bird. Editor: That makes sense, thinking about the wider historical canvas it sits on. It feels like more than just a portrait; that urgency you talk about resonates. I think anyone who’s ever felt jolted awake by sudden change can empathize. Its wings are flung so far to the sides, almost broken like the human spirit. Curator: The choice of pencil is fascinating too; consider it was accessible for the wider public who might have experienced instability. The pencil work made it economical and widely accessible. What appears almost impressionistic here, with its blurred sketch qualities, was really intentional democratisation of art. Editor: Wow, seeing it as a deliberate choice shifts everything! Suddenly, it's not just the owl who's startled, but maybe a whole populace. Makes me wonder about Kuytenbrouwer's intentions - what stories was he trying to whisper through his art? It's so much richer now. Curator: These glimpses offer powerful insights, revealing broader sociopolitical factors in daily artistic practices. Editor: I came thinking about flight, escape, even a bit of terror but you know? Now, all I'm really left with, it’s the feeling that somebody really saw it – us.