Afgebroken boom met bladeren 1809 - 1841

Editor: Here we have Joannes Bemme's "Afgebroken boom met bladeren," or "Broken Tree with Leaves," created sometime between 1809 and 1841. It’s an ink drawing, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The detail is remarkable; you can almost feel the texture of the bark. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: What’s fascinating is to consider the materiality and process. Bemme used pen and ink to create this delicate, almost fragile image of a broken tree. But what kind of pen, what type of ink? Was it mass-produced, or artisanal? These things speak to the means of production at the time. How does that materiality contribute to our understanding of romanticism as a style? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was focused on the Romanticism, thinking of the sublime and nature's power… Curator: Precisely. And consider this: landscape drawings like these weren't necessarily destined for museum walls. Often, they were exercises, studies, or even designs for larger works. The drawing itself, the *labor* of its creation, held its own value outside traditional "high art." It existed within a specific market. Editor: So, it’s less about the idealized vision of nature and more about… the physical making and circulation of the image itself? The social context in which such drawings were consumed? Curator: Exactly. Think of the paper too! Was it expensive? Locally sourced? The economics of art production become crucial to its interpretation. Understanding those elements shifts our understanding. What does it mean to represent a ‘broken’ tree at that time? What sort of patronage supported this kind of labor? Editor: Wow, that really changes my view. I am seeing beyond just the tree and recognizing a broader context involving production and economic factors. Curator: Indeed. Focusing on materials and means changes everything. I, too, will ponder on the ‘broken’ part; how this form relates to Romanticism’s cultural needs of that period.