Europees (?) landschap met kerkje c. 1846 - 1872

Editor: This is Adrianus Johannes Bik’s “Europees (?) landschap met kerkje,” or “European (?) landscape with church,” made sometime between 1846 and 1872 using pencil on paper. It’s so delicate! The lines are incredibly faint. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I find it compelling to consider this work through its materials. The stark simplicity of pencil on paper, a readily available and relatively inexpensive medium, points towards accessibility. Was this intended as a study, a preliminary sketch for a larger work, or a final piece in itself? Its creation using such common materials invites questions about the democratisation of art and the artist’s labor. Editor: That’s an interesting point. I was so focused on the subject, the church and landscape, that I didn’t really think about the materials themselves. Do you think the choice of pencil influenced the way the landscape is represented? Curator: Absolutely. The pencil allows for subtle gradations, almost atmospheric perspective, rendered economically. However, consider this too: paper, in this era, involved a significant labor process. Looking at the historical context of paper production, the labour, the materiality of even this seemingly simple support reveals a complex network of production. Editor: So even a "simple" drawing like this can open up questions about labour practices and accessibility in art? Curator: Precisely. The materials themselves speak volumes. By analyzing them, we unearth the social and economic circumstances that shaped this work's very existence. Editor: I see it now. I came in thinking about landscape and composition, but I'm leaving thinking about paper and pencils! Curator: And about the labour that brought them to the artist's hand, making the landscape possible.