Studieblad met dansende en musicerende figuren 1820 - 1872

Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer created this drawing, Studieblad met dansende en musicerende figuren, with pen in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. The artist was a student of drawing in his day. The sheet shows different dancing and music-making figures, and other objects. Rather than being a finished artwork, this sheet bears the marks of the Dutch art academy, which from the early 19th century, institutionalized art education. We can imagine the artist, Klinkhamer, training his eye and hand by copying existing artworks. He is studying the masters of the past. Interestingly, the inscription on the sheet identifies the artwork as having been made after older examples by Martin Schöen and Israël van Meckenem. These artists were printmakers from the fifteenth century. This artwork reminds us that art doesn’t emerge from nowhere: it builds on what came before. As historians, we need to consider the history of art education and institutional practices to fully understand the context of the artwork. Studying these sheets alongside prints by Schöen and Israël van Meckenem can help us learn more about the creative process.