Schetsen van paarden 1848 - 1888

Curator: Here we have “Sketches of Horses” by Anton Mauve, made sometime between 1848 and 1888. It’s a delicate work in pen and ink, a quick study really. Editor: A ghost story rendered in pencil. These aren't fully formed horses so much as... equine suggestions. Ethereal, almost. There's a real sense of fleeting movement. Curator: Precisely. Mauve was deeply interested in capturing the essence of rural life. It reminds me of a practice exercise where the aim is to quickly grasp the structure and rhythm of living creatures. Editor: So it's a workshop, less a polished painting meant to hang on the wall and more of an intimate glance at the artist honing his craft. Look at the bottom left-- barely-there suggestions of landscape in order to keep the focus on the subject? It's the essence of capturing the feeling of being around horses. The smells, sounds... Curator: Absolutely. These sketches offer insight into Mauve's artistic process, his keen observation, and his sensitivity to light and form. Interestingly, works like these have found great relevance with the increasing acceptance of works in progress, opening different contexts of understanding to artworks traditionally received as part of a polished finalized piece. Editor: It's remarkable, the freedom conveyed in these preliminary lines! How much of our world is made of the initial sketches of plans and dreams. And what is visible and invisible in this context? It's as much an illustration as it is an experience in empathy. Curator: In its unpretentious honesty and openness this image conveys something of the life from which this painting arose and in turn evokes so much from the life around us, something very much alive, isn't it? Editor: Exactly, like whispered secrets, a story told not in detail but in breath and form. Makes you think how art, especially like this, connects us, then and now.