Schetsboek met 33 bladen 1889 - 1894

Editor: So, we have "Sketchbook with 33 leaves," made between 1889 and 1894 by Antoon Derkinderen, primarily using pencil, charcoal, and paper. It looks well-worn! What strikes you about it? Curator: What interests me is that this is not just a bound book, but evidence of process. The very material reality—the paper, charcoal, the binding— these show Derkinderen’s labor and journey. How might this book act as a tool for production of a piece of art? Editor: A tool for production? Well, sketchbooks are for, you know, sketching! Practicing, right? Curator: Precisely! But I would ask: What is the role of the materials used and the act of sketching in challenging our ideas around "high art"? Does it allow for a breakdown of class divides surrounding fine art? The mass production of paper, versus canvas, perhaps? Editor: Hmmm... I never considered paper’s democratizing role. It’s so accessible! Do you think the landscapes and portraits were experiments for larger works, or could they be considered finished pieces in their own right? Curator: That’s where it gets fascinating, isn’t it? We see landscapes, portraits… all rendered with relatively inexpensive materials, within a commonplace object. Is Derkinderen elevating craft, critiquing notions of value itself? Does it change our conception of the artist's labor and how we think about how artists "work"? Editor: I see what you mean! Thinking about the *means* of production as part of the artwork itself. It makes me reconsider what “art” even is. Curator: Exactly! Seeing this sketchbook, focusing on materials and means, opens conversations we don’t usually have around "finished" paintings or sculptures. I wonder if the drawings are in dialogue with how he sources and chooses his materials. Editor: I hadn't thought of sketchbooks this way before! It makes the art feel so much more connected to real life and the daily grind of being an artist.