Schets van een wandelaar op een weg 1797 - 1870

Editor: This sketch, "Schets van een wandelaar op een weg," created by Andreas Schelfhout sometime between 1797 and 1870, is a simple pencil drawing held by the Rijksmuseum. The landscape is sparsely rendered. What is particularly interesting to me about it is the emphasis of the walker, what strikes you in this piece? Curator: The roughness of the drawing is fascinating, isn’t it? Consider the labor that produced this. Schelfhout's quick strokes – made possible by readily available pencil and paper – allowed for a swift capturing of the landscape. What does this immediacy tell us about art production and consumption in that era? Was sketching a more accessible practice? Editor: I hadn't thought of the economics of it, actually! That does open up new perspectives. Was this accessibility, the creation and materials, something entirely new? Curator: Yes, largely! Pencils made sketching more accessible, and the demand for picturesque views grew alongside an expanding middle class with the leisure time to consume them. So, consider how this sketch democratizes the artistic process while also catering to a burgeoning art market. Notice, also, the romanticism in it. Why is the small figure seemingly walking away into nature important for this artist, for that time period? Editor: I see your point. The solitary wanderer suggests a romantic engagement with the landscape, and how its cheap production opened it up for many more to see and maybe even imitate the style. It really underscores how the materials and context influenced the artist's choice of subject. Curator: Precisely. The "romanticism" might have remained locked up in the elite class without affordable, practical methods of art making like pencil drawings becoming so readily available. We shouldn’t underestimate the means of production!