Liereman 1768 - 1796

Curator: Standing before us is Pieter de Mare’s engraving, "Liereman," dating sometime between 1768 and 1796. The piece now resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has this almost spectral quality. The figure looks worn and weary. Note how the density of the cross-hatching impacts the shading, casting shadows on the subject’s form to heighten the mood. Curator: Indeed. We're seeing a snapshot of Dutch society, but how might it relate to socio-economic currents in Holland at the time? Editor: It reflects an increasingly romantic view of poverty, of simplicity as holding its own innate value in an age marked by growing materialism. Curator: Perhaps. But I'd rather examine how de Mare uses line to create texture, and shape. Consider the cascading fabric in the foreground which obscures the legs. Look how they juxtapose and contrast one another, directing the gaze upwards. Editor: And notice how the engraver utilized the blankness to contrast the density of the figure; a kind of visual metaphor for isolation? Curator: Interesting observation. I do agree the subject looks isolated in space, especially when taking the figure's stance into consideration. His leaning body almost makes him fade into the bleak atmosphere of the artwork. Editor: In many ways it anticipates modern preoccupations with capturing the emotional impact of the solitary human condition amidst societal complexities. What's fascinating is that you're experiencing these concerns so far in advance of Romanticism itself. Curator: What strikes me about this "Liereman" is the deliberate obscuring of facial details, forcing you to infer their character. De Mare forces us to confront the social realities. Editor: Ultimately it's a piece about both visibility and invisibility, both socially and, from a formal perspective, representationally, that resonate even now.