Schets van vier schilderijen 1777

Curator: This pen and ink drawing, "Schets van vier schilderijen" by Jurriaan Andriessen, dating from 1777, presents an interesting puzzle. It's held at the Rijksmuseum. What are your initial thoughts about this work? Editor: It’s quite a curious sheet, isn’t it? Almost like a comic strip with these four scenes sketched out. They feel very theatrical and staged, perhaps reflecting popular entertainment. What exactly do you see here? Curator: Well, the pen and ink work immediately directs us to the labour involved in production. It wasn't just about spontaneous creation, but a considered exercise in visualising larger narratives, we see in the inscriptions too an interesting perspective on sale value. Think about the paper itself - its cost, its source, the labour involved in making it available to the artist. Then think about the purpose of a sketch like this. Was it preparatory for a painting? Was it a means of marketing a theatrical production? It becomes interesting when you start unpacking all the labor invested in production. Editor: I never considered it that way, breaking down the stages of making art accessible! So, would you say that this work then critiques the high art versus craft divide through highlighting labor? Curator: Precisely! Consider Andriessen’s social context, a period undergoing shifts in artisanal labor practices and consumption patterns. By showcasing the process – the sketch, the 'raw' idea - he collapses the distinction between refined artistic output and the hands-on creation, he focuses the value away from just the art and more into the material involved in producing the art piece. Editor: I am not sure that this challenges artistic production as a whole; It feels more illustrative and representational. Curator: Indeed. What initially appears to be a set of individual works can be seen as part of a cycle of artistic, and even social, production. Editor: That is helpful. Now, thinking about materials and their value makes me look at the artwork quite differently. Curator: Glad to provide an eye opening prospective, I've learnt some more myself about material context.