Hurkend figuur tussen bomen in Buitenzorg c. 1921

Curator: Immediately, I sense an almost overwhelming feeling of being watched in this landscape. Editor: We’re looking at "Hurkend figuur tussen bomen in Buitenzorg," or "Squatting Figure Among Trees in Buitenzorg," a drawing and print in ink by Willem Witsen, dating from around 1921. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: The squatting figure really grounds it, doesn’t it? I’m immediately drawn to the contrast between the vulnerability of the figure and the implied observation from the trees. It’s such a human posture, intimate yet exposed. It almost evokes a biblical scene, with nature itself acting as both witness and judge. Editor: Witsen’s approach to rendering, particularly the quick strokes of the ink and paper itself, speaks volumes about colonial labor. The quick print replicates the feeling of disposability, and the relationship to Indonesian servitude as backgrounded scenery in this work troubles notions of simple pastoral beauty. It makes me question the labour and materiality of creating a single print versus, say, photography, where we also have the chemical development aspect as labour. Curator: Absolutely, that human labor is there both within and outside the image. I think Witsen’s conscious use of a figure—an inhabitant, most likely a worker or peasant given its geographical specificity in colonial Java—is deliberate in emphasizing human scale against nature's potential to dwarf it. In that light, the bending posture signals subordination. And notice that traditional straw hat. Editor: Yes, the scale brings out that the colonial figure here almost becomes the material, another part in a chain of exploitative relationships. A cog if you will. By focusing on production—or even this reproduction through the print medium itself—it reframes a supposedly quiet scene, like a record in a vast exploitative mechanism. The stark medium only accentuates these aspects of production through visibility. Curator: You're right, that perspective on the system driving this artwork opens up a rich dimension. So much weight to uncover. Editor: Precisely, it's those layered perspectives that render what might appear to be just a tranquil landscape into such a provocative piece. Thank you for sharing your insight.