Wandeling van een vetten os / Promenade du boeuf gras 1827 - 1894

Curator: This engraving, likely dating between 1827 and 1894, is entitled "Wandeling van een vetten os / Promenade du boeuf gras" and is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s attributed to M. Hemeleers-van Houter. Editor: Wow, a parade of tiny, almost ghostly figures! They're like actors waiting in the wings, all these characters and scenarios etched in monochrome. It feels like stumbling upon a vintage theater set, promising both a spectacle and a subtle commentary. Curator: Observe how the artist employs a simple linework to create distinct forms and a structured arrangement. The figures surrounding the central scene act as individual vignettes, separate narratives held within the larger composition. Semiotically, each character, each posture, conveys symbolic information related to genre and societal norms. Editor: Exactly, and in that main scene—it’s all spectacle and swagger, right? That gloriously plump ox being paraded seems both comical and poignant. Like a celebration laced with irony... almost daring you to find the deeper meaning. And are those supposed to be theatrical costumes? Curator: Undoubtedly. The figures are consciously designed to signify, offering an illustrative compendium of societal archetypes rather than focusing on depth or nuance. There is a sense of formalism over expression throughout. Editor: Perhaps... but I also see a wink of humanity in the roughness of the lines, in the almost cartoonish expressions of some figures. And isn’t that really the essence of ‘genre painting’ – catching those little glimmers that tell a whole story about real, messy life behind the social façade? Curator: You’re identifying the tensions that the artist subtly manipulates: the structure vs. the suggestion of stories wanting to emerge from those tight constrictions. Note the repetition of form, establishing rhythms—almost as a musical score—in the arrangement of characters. Editor: You’ve reframed my vision here. What began as whimsical feels more deliberately constructed... like a set of cards ready to be shuffled and redealt, always coming up with slightly different meanings about how we see ourselves. It makes me appreciate the engraving much more, thank you. Curator: And in turn, your reading enriches my own by recognizing how formalism provides that structure to engage emotionally. A welcome challenge.