Ploegend paard 1848 - 1888

Editor: This pencil drawing, "Ploegend paard," by Anton Mauve, dating from between 1848 and 1888, feels very raw. You can almost see the artist sketching quickly. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I'm struck by the materiality of the artwork. Look at the visible marks, the erasures, and the rough texture of the paper itself. It highlights the labor involved in creating the image. Consider also that this drawing depicts the labor of agricultural life. The image thus creates a dialectic on production by combining it in one piece. Editor: So, you are saying it draws attention to its creation through these rough pencil marks? Curator: Exactly. This drawing, made with readily available and inexpensive materials like pencil and paper, represents another form of labor. It exists in relation to the much harder labor depicted, the work of the farmer. The choice of medium invites us to consider social hierarchies between the urban artist and the rural labor class. Do you see how that is subtly underscored in the visual composition? Editor: I didn't really think of it that way before. But how do you think someone viewing it during that period would interpret its materiality, and do you think the social meaning might shift over time? Curator: Someone seeing it then might view it through the lens of romanticizing rural life. However, now, with our awareness of social and economic inequalities, we might focus more on the power dynamics and the exploitation inherent in agricultural labor. This perspective prompts reflection on our present-day consumption habits and who profits from these modes of production. Editor: I never considered how closely the drawing's materials themselves could reflect and comment on society and consumption. Curator: Considering materiality invites these questions about artistic labour and class. This new perspective hopefully provides the opportunity to look at similar works of art with deeper insights.