Zittende figuur met hond bij boom (op vaaslichaam?) c. 1870 - 1894

Editor: This ink drawing by Gustave Joseph Chéret, from around the 1870s to 1890s, depicts a figure sitting with a dog near a tree, perhaps intended as a study for something larger given it’s labelled “op vaaslichaam”. It feels very intimate and like a personal sketch. What's your interpretation of the social or historical context surrounding a work like this? Curator: Well, considering Chéret’s background in creating advertising posters, even this quick sketch can be seen as connected to the rise of commercial art. The focus isn't on traditional academic themes, but more towards everyday life and readily consumable images. Notice how efficiently he captures the figures. Editor: It almost feels like a fleeting observation, not something posed or carefully constructed. Was that a common sentiment in art at this time? Curator: Precisely. There was a growing desire to represent the immediacy of modern life, diverging from the more staged or idealized historical paintings. Think of the Impressionists, capturing the fleeting moment. Do you see that connection in Chéret's work here? Editor: Definitely! The sketchiness emphasizes a sense of capturing a candid moment. The figure seems so relaxed, almost unaware of being observed, creating an almost intimate dynamic for a piece made public. Curator: That intimacy could be intentional. Artists were beginning to cultivate a different relationship with the public, offering glimpses into private moments to create a sense of connection, and to sell a dream of modern, bourgeois, life. It invites the viewer to participate. It creates desire. Editor: That's a great perspective, that quick observations invite the viewer into a dream-world and generate desire, quite applicable to advertisements of the day. I will keep this insight in mind for future artworks. Curator: Indeed. I am happy I could highlight how societal desires permeate artistic intent.