Paarden bij een bomschuit op het strand 1848 - 1888

Anton Mauve made this drawing, titled 'Horses by a fishing boat on the beach’, with black chalk. Mauve was an important artist of the Hague School, a group that depicted the everyday lives of the Dutch, especially in the countryside. In this drawing, rather than glorifying the landscape, there's an interest in the labour and lives of those who depend on it. The horses here seem integral to the process of bringing the fishing boat ashore. Mauve does not idealize the scene; instead, he offers us a glimpse into the reality of labor. The composition is stark, focusing on the working relationship between humans, animals, and their environment. Mauve’s work resonates with a broader 19th-century interest in representing the lives of ordinary people, yet his sensitivity to the atmosphere and the physical exertion involved gives the drawing an emotional depth. It reminds us of the constant negotiation between nature and human effort, and the dignity found in hard work.