Allerlei bezigheden 1806 - 1858

Curator: Here we have "Allerlei bezigheden" or "Various Occupations" by Willem Carl Wansleven, dating from 1806 to 1858. It's a drawing made with pen on paper. Editor: Oh, what a charming page! It feels like stumbling upon a sheet of lovely, gentle vignettes—each one a little story, each with a touch of old-world elegance and contained wistfulness. Curator: Indeed, the drawing comprises nine separate scenes, each portraying figures engaged in different activities – socializing, reading, riding. The method of reproduction is interesting, pointing to broader issues of print culture and how images were consumed at the time. These miniature scenes, neatly arranged, would have circulated as part of a print series, maybe even hand-colored later on. Editor: I'm drawn to the way the penwork creates such delicate textures, almost like faded tapestry. There’s a sense of looking into the past, the lines hinting at half-remembered tales and forgotten flirtations beneath shaded trees, or convivial meetings over ale. Each figure seems both composed and strangely vulnerable. Curator: The themes Wansleven touches upon, like courtship, leisure, or reading, are pretty characteristic of genre painting from this period. But he gives the subject matter this distinctive treatment using accessible means: inexpensive materials rendered into a replicable design. It gives it an unusual place between craft and art. Editor: Absolutely. And the tiny rhymes underneath! “Hier heb ik mijn lief – och Fierrike, zie je niet? – Ik zou’d wel zo’n poes – Dat wie je liet!" ("Here I have my love – oh Fierikke, don't you see? – I’d be such a darling – if you’d let me!"). It really enhances this tender sense, these are scenes plucked straight from a daydream. There’s a real affection there for simple human connection. Curator: By looking at this drawing, we can examine print production. Wansleven democratized both artmaking and consumption, taking them beyond just oil paints and elite patrons. Editor: To me it all boils down to a celebration of the quiet moments, beautifully captured. It invites the imagination to wander and to invent those silent stories hovering around the scene, around that couple, around that secret word under the trees... Curator: I hadn't thought about it quite like that, but now I think I will carry that away as well! Editor: Beautiful, and to our listeners: go ahead and have "Allerlei bezigheden," each special in its moment!