Schetsboek met 91 bladen c. 1909s

This sketchbook with 91 pages was made by Alexander Shilling, who lived between 1859 and 1937. Sketchbooks offer a fascinating glimpse into the artistic process, reflecting the social and cultural conditions that shaped the artist's vision. As a repository of preliminary ideas and studies, sketchbooks allow us to trace the artist’s thinking and creative trajectory. Examining the pages, we might consider how Shilling’s artistic practice intersected with the art institutions of his time. Were his sketches produced for academic exercises, private commissions, or personal exploration? By consulting archival material, such as letters and exhibition records, we can begin to understand the complex web of social relations that supported Shilling’s work. The sketchbook, in this light, becomes a valuable document of artistic production. It invites us to consider the meaning of art as something contingent on social and institutional context.