Studieblad met zeilschepen c. 1843 - 1848

Editor: This is a page of ship studies in pencil on paper, by Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer, made around the 1840s. The sketchy lines give the drawing an almost ethereal quality. What can you tell me about these drawings? Curator: Klinkhamer’s study allows us to examine artistic labor itself. Consider the repetitive, almost meditative act of sketching these vessels. We see the artist grappling with the practical demands of representing these objects—their structure, their movement, their presence in the material world. How does the cheapness of the materials--pencil and paper-- impact your perception of the work when it’s hanging in the Rijksmuseum? Editor: It does seem at odds with the grand setting. I suppose I think of the Golden Age as being paintings, rather than works on paper. Does the context in which the study was made - presumably a sketch book- affect how we consider it as opposed to a finished work. Curator: Precisely. Think of the artist’s process. These ships would have been produced by laborers. The canvas made, paint mixed. This sheet offers something different. Klinkhamer’s focus on line emphasizes a study, rather than the depiction of fully-formed images. Consider how it highlights the contrast between the industrial production of ships and the almost artisanal process of this kind of drawing. What do you make of the seemingly unfinished aspect? Editor: I think it is about the work of an artist understanding how to depict sailing ships. It reveals more about the making of art, than making of the vessels. Curator: Indeed. And that emphasis on *making* disrupts any easy distinction between "high art" and craft. The work on paper, in a museum setting makes us consider production itself as valuable labor, drawing attention to both its means and materiality. Editor: It makes you see how even a simple sketch can have layers of meaning. Curator: Yes, examining it from a materialist perspective truly enriches our appreciation, I hope, shifting how you understand the artist’s work!