Kale bomen bij een muurtje 1831 - 1904

Curator: Here we have "Kale bomen bij een muurtje," or "Bare Trees by a Little Wall," an etching dating from the late 19th century by Arnoud Schaepkens. Editor: The scene is bleak but intriguing; the bare tree branches scratch at a faded sky, and the whole landscape feels subdued, almost melancholic. Curator: Well, this print is a fascinating example of Realism. Look at how Schaepkens portrays an ordinary rural scene. Consider that the burgeoning industrial revolution meant these agrarian lives were on the brink of erasure. The wall itself, ask yourself: Who does it keep out? And at what cost? Editor: It’s compelling to consider this scene as both an aesthetic experience and a form of documentation of labor and class. Did Schaepkens aim for any social critique with this sort of scene or was he attempting an apolitical pastoral depiction? Curator: As artists negotiated modernity, the line is deliberately blurred in how it gets consumed within an expanding marketplace and new venues of display, so perhaps he himself did not know. What about the function of realism here: Schaepkens appears to have tried to offer a glimpse into their real life but to whom was this scene actually offered up to? Editor: Right, especially with that title! I wonder how people viewing this image would feel about seeing the unadorned realities of agrarian labor presented as worthy of artistic representation. It begs so many questions. Who is privileged to ignore this and who isn’t? Curator: Exactly, who indeed! To grapple with Schaepkens is to delve into these important discussions concerning whose stories are represented, and why and for whom. This humble etching resonates far beyond its immediate aesthetic appeal. Editor: It’s a reminder that even in the quietest landscapes, there's often a complex web of social and political narratives waiting to be unraveled.