Hert before 1959

Curator: This mixed-media work on paper, known as "Hert," was created by D. Middelhoek sometime before 1959. It combines drawing with what appears to be watercolor and graphite techniques. What strikes you most when you first see this piece? Editor: The overall mood is so delicate, almost fragile. The network of lines laid over the washed-out background is visually striking. Curator: Middelhoek employs a compelling strategy. You can clearly see the "line" style, which enhances its dynamic tension. Editor: Those linear elements really do evoke images of shattered glass, don't they? It calls to mind a disruption, something fractured and precarious. Is this maybe a symbol of broader societal anxieties around that time? Curator: That is an astute observation. There is quite a bit of postwar sentimentality connected to the idea of fractured things. It appears to align with abstraction. Editor: Yes, and thinking about it more, that single spot of red color in the composition stands out even more. Is that splash symbolic of a loss or emotional injury from past experiences? Curator: That splash might symbolize resilience against adversity. I agree that the splash of color demands interpretation, considering that everything else is gray or white. Perhaps it invites us to question how people rebuilt lives following enormous trauma. Editor: Thinking about Middelhoek using this particular combination of abstraction alongside those more visceral symbolic gestures does speak powerfully about human endurance, or at least to trying. Thank you, it helped open a lens to consider the emotional weight. Curator: Yes, for me, looking through it as an historical work lets me value its place as not just a cultural work, but an effort to confront difficulties and social problems.