Duinlandschap 1778 - 1838

Curator: Let’s have a look at "Dunescape" ("Duinlandschap"), a graphite drawing created by Anthonie van den Bos sometime between 1778 and 1838. It’s currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. What's your first take on it? Editor: There's a strange peacefulness here. Almost haunting. It's monochrome, simple... evokes this sense of a lonely ramble through nature. A quiet, observant piece. Curator: Given that it is a graphite drawing on paper, it's worthwhile considering the availability and standardization of these materials during van den Bos’s active period. The rise of graphite as a medium enabled artists to easily reproduce landscape and allowed for detail work and mass production, democratizing artmaking practices. How do you feel this connects to its realism style and its possible political charge? Editor: Political charge, huh? Well, the almost barren landscape, with only those tiny figures present... almost looks like they’re staking a claim. Maybe that's pushing it. But I get the sense that the wild untamed natural world is the star here; everything is small compared to it. Makes you think about power, possession. It does remind me of earlier plein air drawings. What kind of conversations do you think it provoked? Curator: Its artistic influences are deeply rooted in Romanticism; Van den Bos draws on both realism and dramatic representation. I imagine that it spoke to both a sense of individual introspection and the importance of connection with nature. Graphite also has an interesting textural component. I would want to investigate the tooth of the paper used. Editor: I like thinking about the tooth. Makes me think about its physical making! Did he make the paper himself, do you suppose? Now, imagine getting your hands dirty in the actual production process... Curator: That takes the work outside the sole "artistic genius" and towards broader workshop production, and yes, some artists definitely engaged in their own processing of raw materials. Editor: It brings it down to earth, somehow. You stop idealizing it. Anyway, it’s all making me feel the urge to walk barefoot on some sand and sketch a bit. Curator: Yes, art and labor connect there. Thank you. That brings new materiality for both artist and viewer.