De vlieg c. 1843 - 1920

Curator: This print, "De Vlieg"—"The Fly"—by Hermann van der Moolen, probably created somewhere between 1843 and 1920, presents a series of vignettes. A lithograph, as far as the medium is concerned. Editor: My first thought is pure frustration, captured in multiple stages. Like tiny Sisyphean torments in each little frame. Curator: Right. And notice how each scene centers around this persistent fly and the man's increasing agitation with it. The man’s corpulence, emphasized by the flowing lines, creates this bumbling figure. It strikes me as humorous and even endearing. Editor: Well, I find myself looking more closely at the chair in each image, or the implied space of a room. These repeated interiors suggest a life of, shall we say, bourgeois comfort. One insulated enough to be profoundly bothered by an insect. The work, made via lithography which democratized printmaking… speaks to a growing middle class and their… pastimes? Curator: Indeed, there's a strong satirical element present, targeting perhaps the self-importance of the bourgeoisie. The simple line work—characteristic of the era—adds a lightness, preventing it from becoming too preachy, almost a gentle ribbing. Editor: Precisely! Think of the resources required: the access to furniture, clothing, the sheer *leisure* to chase a fly! Printmaking was itself reliant on increasingly industrial processes. The paper, the ink, the very press are telling. I wonder about the workshop producing these and for what market it was intended. It almost reads like an ad: See! Life’s so simple you can focus all your rage onto this pesky fly. Curator: That’s an interesting reading. Looking closer, the man’s face—the contorted expressions as he fails each time—evoke such relatable moments of exasperation we have all felt when fighting our petty irritants. Editor: And I suppose it’s exactly that quotidian relatability, mixed with social commentary provided via mass-produced images, which helps ground art into everyday experiences. What do you take away at the end of our conversation here? Curator: Just how complex seemingly simple images are, really. There’s a whole narrative structure just waiting to unfold with patience, not unlike chasing a fly! Editor: Absolutely. I will mull further over Van der Moolen and his audience and hope some pesky fly doesn’t keep me awake all night.