Tekenschool 1705

Curator: Ah, yes, "Tekenschool", or "Drawing School," created in 1705. The Rijksmuseum proudly displays this etching, an engraving in essence, by Jacobus Baptist after J. Goeree. Editor: There's a theatricality to the scene; a classical grandeur imposed on what I initially took to be a portrait of instruction. The bare torsos certainly add to that… are we sure it's *just* about drawing? Curator: Well, look closer, notice the almost…clinical display of disembodied body parts decorating the wall? It feels allegorical, about deconstructing the human form for artistic understanding. Academic art at its finest. Editor: I’m immediately drawn to the contrast, if you’ll pardon the pun, between those fragmented sculptures and the cherubic students earnestly studying…circular objects on their boards. Are they perhaps grinding pigment for paint? Curator: Interesting! One sees, truly, a convergence of genre and historical painting at play here. There's a feeling of controlled chaos in the composition. Editor: I wonder about the act of etching and engraving. All that precise work to mimic the look of a spontaneous sketch! So much labour devoted to, in a sense, the democratization of the image. These weren't one-off masterpieces; they were meant for circulation, for teaching… for consumption. Curator: Yes, and isn't it telling that the artist himself is shown mid-process, not as some isolated genius but as an artisan engaged in the physical act of creation? Editor: Absolutely, challenging that "genius" narrative! To create accessible teaching tools— that speaks to the cultural value they put on expanding access to visual expression. Also note, if you will, the book title; "Inleydinge Tot de Algemeene Teken-Konst Door W. Gorree"; translated into English; An Introduction To The General Drawing-Art by W. Gorree. Curator: After spending this time with "Tekenschool" by Jacobus Baptist, I see a rather lovely, and perhaps pointed, statement about art making and the human condition. It is an experience! Editor: I couldn’t agree more, the more we examine it, the more it reveals layers, it really begs questions about high and low art and how art practices intersect within commercial imperatives of teaching others.