Ruiter op steigerend paard 1908 - 1937

Editor: So this is “Ruiter op steigerend paard,” or “Horse and Rider” by Bernard Willem Wierink, dated sometime between 1908 and 1937. It's a watercolor painting with a real sense of dynamism. It feels a little unsettling, almost like a nightmare. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: That unsettled feeling, I think, stems from the tension between the heroic subject matter—a knight on horseback—and the unstable medium. Watercolor, often associated with landscapes and leisure, here depicts something far more violent and charged. It forces us to question the narratives around heroism and power. Consider also that the production date range covers the first world war and subsequent interwar years, so the topic of ‘warrior’ has a very charged socio-political message. Editor: I see what you mean. It's not the glorious image we might expect. There's something almost…frail about it. Is that intentional, do you think? Curator: Perhaps. Wierink made the deliberate choice to depict such a subject using a less "serious" material. Think about how often war and masculine strength are glorified, and how that kind of propaganda is traditionally depicted through epic oil paintings and sculpture, never in “watercolors”. Wierink seems to subtly subverting this concept of masculinity, almost highlighting its vulnerability through a rather ‘feeble’ technique and composition.. Where do we see strength depicted, and where does it fail in the composition, perhaps becoming weak? Editor: The rider himself seems quite small and his armour seems… light-weight. The steam seems like the most striking subject! Curator: Exactly! The subject of this war machine almost vanishes. Do you think he is trying to re-direct power towards the horse as some feminist theorists believe about war narratives? Editor: That's a fascinating idea, looking at power structures that way. I'll definitely have to consider this piece through a different lens now. Curator: And I learned from you how interesting the subject matter has the potential of fading away almost entirely!