Schets van vijf staande mannen 1683 - 1733

Editor: Here we have Bernard Picart's "Sketch of Five Standing Men," made sometime between 1683 and 1733, using pen and ink on paper. The figures appear so swiftly drawn, but there is personality to each one. What strikes you about it? Curator: The immediacy afforded by the pen and ink medium invites a materialist reading. Consider the paper itself—its sourcing, the labour involved in its production at that time. Ink, too, derived from specific materials, ground and mixed according to a particular craft. Editor: So the choice of readily available, economic materials speaks to accessibility? Curator: Precisely. This suggests a different mode of artistic engagement than oil painting, which requires expensive pigments and a studio. These drawings were portable, reproducible, and accessible. Look closely – what do you notice about the way the clothing is depicted, its material? Editor: I see the differences; the figure on the far right is very tattered, so this piece can give a sense of societal positions. Curator: Yes! Picart engages with everyday life, and depicts a range of social types through a cheap, mobile art form. This suggests not only a reflection of but also a potential challenge to established hierarchies. Editor: So, this wasn't just a sketch; it reflects a larger cultural shift and also economic class and labor disputes that were part of that society. Curator: Exactly. And the means of its creation–pen, ink, paper–were integral to its role within that societal landscape. Considering the materiality is key. Editor: This perspective really opens my eyes to the power of examining artistic tools and social influences on what might seem, at first, like a simple sketch. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Seeing art as embedded in the material and social world offers such rich insights.