Staande ezel 1866

Curator: We're looking at Johannes Arnoldus Boland's "Standing Donkey" from 1866. It’s a pen and ink drawing on paper. What strikes you most when you see this image? Editor: Hmm, that quiet solitude, the gentle weariness it projects. It feels almost...holy. You know, like a saintly mule just waiting for his next job. Curator: "Saintly mule," I love that! Boland worked within a strong realist tradition, you see. In Dutch art of this period, animals were often portrayed with dignity, reflecting a broader societal appreciation for the rural and working life. It’s less about idealizing them, and more about showing the true reality of these beasts. Editor: It really does seem like he caught him in a perfectly unguarded moment. Look at how the pen lines create the donkey's fur – short, deliberate strokes. This work radiates patience. I can almost hear it sigh. Curator: Interesting observation, and the placement itself. It is rendered in a small contained rectangle on the paper which reminds me of prints that would be affixed to other media, like newsprint, ephemera. The work seems to offer both fine detail with very expressive, scratchy textures, and a sense of volume. Editor: Yes, and consider what an odd choice of subject! It’s neither grand portraiture, nor sweeping landscape... it’s just this sturdy creature, drawn with affection, standing square in our sights. You have to wonder, what drew Boland to the animal in the first place? Curator: Hard to know! Maybe the very ordinariness was the point. The Netherlands had a large, often impoverished rural population at the time. Highlighting this donkey would align with representing overlooked aspects of the time. Or perhaps it was the play of light across the form... who can ever truly say with art? Editor: A thought-provoking reminder that beauty exists where we choose to look for it. Perhaps we could all do with a little donkey-like groundedness and peaceful presence these days. Curator: Indeed! May this stoic creature accompany us as we head off for our next discovery, always there, always waiting, content to carry our weight and lighten our hearts!