Sappeur in het Napoleontische leger Possibly 1810 - 1813

Editor: Here we have Joannes Pieter Visser Bender's "Sappeur in het Napoleontische leger," a pencil drawing from the early 1810s. It has a surprisingly informal feel, given the subject matter, but there's also something striking about the detail in the uniform. What draws your attention when you look at this piece? Curator: Immediately, the choice of pencil stands out. It’s not just a preliminary sketch for a painting. Consider the economic realities of the time. Pencil, relatively inexpensive, allowed for wider artistic creation and distribution. This challenges the hierarchy of 'high art' created in oil versus works accessible through readily available materials. Notice the lines – where do they thicken, where do they thin? Editor: It’s interesting that you focus on the material. The line variation does create a sense of volume and texture, especially in the fur cap. Curator: Exactly. How does that fur material reflect on consumption and status during the Napoleonic era? The very act of depicting this sapper, a working soldier, in a traditionally upper-class medium – drawing, but using an inexpensive material – subverts established norms. This piece gives insight into who had the means to commission art, and who did the work creating it. Is the artist critiquing, celebrating, or merely observing? Editor: So, beyond just being a portrait, it's almost like a document of artistic and social practices? How do we see those practices represented, exactly? Curator: Think about the labor involved. Mining the graphite for the pencil, processing it, the papermaking. Each stage a form of production adding meaning to the final image. And consider the sapper's work. The drawing silently alludes to the brutal realities of the Napoleonic Wars. Editor: It completely reframes how I see the artwork; thank you. I hadn't thought about the material itself telling such a story! Curator: It's about recognizing that the ‘what’ is intrinsically linked to the ‘how’ and ‘why.’ Every artwork embodies production from concept to materialization.