Drinkende soldaat en jonge soldaat met corvee 1832

Editor: This is *Drinking Soldier and Young Soldier on Fatigue Duty* by Nicolas Toussaint Charlet, from 1832. It's currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The expressions on their faces give me a sense of the day-to-day grind for soldiers, but there’s a lot of nuance to the emotions here too. What jumps out at you in this work? Curator: Oh, the daily theatre of military life! Charlet had such a knack for capturing these moments of stoic humor, didn't he? Notice the lounging figure, glass raised as if bestowing a benediction upon… what exactly? And look closer - that young soldier with the broom – his expression, the way he leans, he's practically a study in ennui, isn't he? He almost has a twinkle. Do you catch any of the ironic subversiveness, or is it me? Editor: I think I see what you mean! It’s a snapshot of the everyday realities clashing with perhaps…the idealised vision of soldiering? There’s some weariness that I pick up from these postures. Curator: Precisely! It reminds me of Goya, but stripped of all pomp, the unromantic details. What story do you reckon Charlet is trying to tell here? Editor: Perhaps the disparity between rank and file, some soldiers drinking while the others are being made to clean? It makes it so intriguing, with all these silent observations. Curator: Mmm, yes! Art has the capacity to show what the "brass" can not show, has little to do with war strategy or power! This lithograph gives so much fodder for one to imagine! Editor: I’m glad to learn about some context with its ennui theme from other artists like Goya as well as how social hierarchies factor into how we see this piece today.