Portret van Jan Blanken Jansz. 1823

Editor: So, this is Jean Augustin Daiwaille's "Portret van Jan Blanken Jansz." from 1823, a pencil drawing housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The lightness of the pencil gives it an ethereal quality. What's your take? Curator: The use of pencil, seemingly simple, actually opens up fascinating avenues of inquiry. Pencil wasn't just a readily available tool; it signified a shift in artistic production, making art more accessible and, arguably, more democratic. Before, portraiture of this kind might demand the cost and labor of oil paints. Here, Daiwaille chooses the humbler medium of pencil. Why? Editor: Maybe the sitter desired a quicker, more affordable portrait? Curator: Precisely. It points to the material conditions of artistic production and consumption. This wasn't some grand commission dripping with wealth and power. It reflects perhaps the rising merchant class, who desired portraiture but at a different price point, with different implications. Consider also how the graphite itself was sourced, traded, and transformed. The pencil is not just a neutral tool; it's tied to global resource networks and industrial processes. How do you see the sitter's attire influencing this? Editor: It is elegant but maybe restrained? Like a statement of modest affluence... not quite ostentatious! Curator: Exactly! It brings an understated power to this discussion about materials. That modest affluence echoes the material realities and the very means by which this artwork came into being. It’s less about romanticized genius and more about production, labour, and the democratization of art itself. Editor: That’s really changed how I view this piece! It's fascinating to think of the economic factors shaping artmaking even back then. Thanks!