Staand paard in een landschap 1856

Curator: What a simple yet striking work! We’re looking at “Staand paard in een landschap,” or “Standing Horse in a Landscape,” created in 1856 by Cornelis Albertus Johannes Schermer. The artist employed pencil and ink in this drawing. Editor: It feels incredibly immediate. I’m drawn to the starkness of the composition, this almost skeletal rendering of a horse isolated in what seems like a desolate space. There is this emptiness in the frame which communicates with its physical size and the humble materials, quite an emotive impression. Curator: The medium used is indeed worth noting; pencil and ink drawings had a vital function as studies in 19th-century Dutch art. Artists commonly employed these methods for sketching in preparation for larger compositions or independent of the scale. Consider how this piece exists now; do you perceive it differently as a final work as opposed to an artistic process artifact? Editor: Interesting. Knowing it could be preparatory definitely reframes how I look at the mark-making. The somewhat scratchy, unfinished quality suddenly feels intentional – part of a wider investigation. Perhaps it shows the artist wrestling with depicting musculature or the effects of light on the animal’s coat? It's almost as if we are witnessing Schermer trying to materialize the subject onto the plane through material gestures. Curator: Exactly, and the context also contributes to that view. This work exists now, however, as a physical piece within our gallery. It begs to be engaged with on its own merits irrespective of what it preceded, speaking to an ongoing dialog of artwork's relevance. Do you see the landscape playing a prominent role? Editor: The landscape almost dissolves away – simplified to a minimum. Which amplifies that feeling of the horse standing exposed within the world, presented starkly with humble materials and simple execution. Perhaps, what might this say about society's connection to nature? Curator: Perhaps Schermer seeks to remove such a romantic image. What the artist has provided to the social sphere then, beyond a picture, is then left for speculation and dialogue with the world around us and our role within it. Editor: Thinking about process and presence, my view shifts. It seems to emphasize an investigation that we still can see and benefit from today!