Staande vrouw met vaas (in doos met 43 tekeningen) 1703 - 1775

Editor: This is "Standing Woman with Vase" by Louis Fabritius Dubourg, made sometime between 1703 and 1775. It’s an ink drawing on paper, and what strikes me most is how the simple lines give the figure so much weight and presence. What do you see in this piece, from your perspective? Curator: I’m drawn to the labor inherent in this seemingly simple sketch. Consider the paper, likely handmade, and the ink, carefully prepared from raw materials. Dubourg’s skill transforms these mundane materials, products of intensive labor, into something we now consider “art.” How does this contrast with the role of labor and artisanal skill today? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered! So, you are suggesting it isn't just about artistic expression but also about the process and resources involved in creating the artwork. Are you hinting at something political? Curator: Precisely! Consider the societal context of the Baroque period, and its aristocratic consumption of material excess and artisanal skill, this drawing may reflect this, even question it. Were the artists of the time conscious of their labor? Did the Baroque period artists use the high arts to somehow point back to lower societal classes? How does this interplay with Dubourg’s choices regarding form and subject matter? Editor: Fascinating. So, by focusing on the materials and the act of creation, we can read the drawing not just as a portrait but also as a commentary on the social structure. Curator: Indeed. And think about its display now, here in the Rijksmuseum, severed from its original context of production and consumption, placed under glass. How does this impact our perception of the materials and their value? It prompts us to rethink our modern relationships to both "high" and "low" artistic materials. Editor: I will never look at an ink drawing the same way! Thanks for broadening my views! Curator: And thank you for bringing a fresh set of eyes!