Portretkoppen van twee mannen c. 1881 - 1888

Editor: Here we have Anton Mauve's "Portretkoppen van twee mannen," or "Portrait Heads of Two Men," a pencil drawing dating from around 1881 to 1888. The rough quality of the lines makes me feel as though I'm looking at a page ripped straight from the artist’s sketchbook. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see an exploration of the raw materials and process central to artistic production. Notice the directness of the pencil strokes – we’re not looking at a finished portrait, but an early study. What paper was used? What was the artist trying to capture? Editor: I see the sort of rudimentary lines of initial art, practice perhaps? Curator: Exactly. We're presented with the labor, the 'work' in artwork. And consider Mauve's context: he wasn’t operating in a vacuum. Who might these men have been, and what roles might they have occupied within his social world? It may have even been people within his own household. The act of sketching them implicates artist, subject, and, ultimately, us, as consumers of this work. Do you consider these drawings unfinished pieces? Editor: I think the rough texture makes them charming but I suppose it does feel unfinished in some regard, without color or finer detail to them. Curator: And why should a "finished" artwork hold more value? The rapid lines are expressive in their own right, wouldn't you agree? The work speaks to Mauve experimenting, trying things. This sketchbook provides us with great context into Mauve as a person, the subjects around him, and ultimately, a bit of his world. Editor: That's a great way of seeing it – it challenges that traditional emphasis on polished completion and directs us to look at production itself. Curator: Precisely. Understanding the artistic process, from sourcing materials to the act of creation, can fundamentally alter how we engage with art. I am glad that you see it that way now, and how interesting it has all been to unpack.