Drie herten 1869 - 1873

Curator: At first glance, I'm struck by the fragility and almost nervous energy emanating from this small drawing. Editor: Indeed. What you’re looking at is Rodolphe Bresdin’s "Drie Herten," created between 1869 and 1873, an ink drawing depicting three deer. Bresdin was working in a period of increasing industrialization, which pushed many artists to pastoral subjects. But there’s more to this drawing than just a simple landscape scene. Curator: The stark black lines against the off-white paper really accentuate the nervous thinness of these creatures, lending it a spectral quality. Notice how Bresdin renders them? The standing deer, especially, has this almost ethereal quality. Editor: Yes, the lines are frantic, almost scratch-like. It seems the image underscores ideas of marginalization. Bresdin was, after all, a staunch defender of the dispossessed. It’s important to acknowledge how social commentary made its way into his prints and drawings, which catered to an intellectual, progressive audience in France during the second half of the nineteenth century. Curator: But even divorced from that context, consider the spatial relationships. The three deer exist on top of each other, as if layered, so the image takes on an ethereal quality that makes them ghostly inhabitants. Editor: I agree. It creates a sense of unease. These aren't idealized representations of nature, celebrating a powerful state, but rather fragile creatures in a vulnerable state. The very medium—ink on paper—speaks to that sense of fragility, wouldn’t you say? This isn't an oil painting destined for the salons. This piece is much more personal. Curator: A private, almost melancholic meditation on the natural world… and the creatures it holds. Editor: And perhaps the creatures it's about to lose, considering the encroachment of urban spaces during Bresdin’s time. It’s always interesting to revisit these seemingly quiet pieces. Curator: Absolutely. A small drawing that offers such expansive thoughts!