Man met opengesperde mond en ogen c. 1858

Editor: This is "Man met opengesperde mond en ogen," or "Man with mouth and eyes wide open," created around 1858 by Bastiaan de Poorter. It's a pencil drawing from the Rijksmuseum collection, and it looks like a preliminary sketch. What really strikes me is its raw, almost frantic energy. How do you see this piece? Curator: The frantic energy you identify is palpable. For me, it points directly to the artist's process. The visible labor, the rapid, repetitive strokes, highlight the *making* of the art rather than just the *image* itself. Consider the societal context: mid-19th century. What kind of artistic labor was valued, and what was dismissed as mere practice or disposable? Editor: That’s a great point! I hadn't considered how the value assigned to “finished” works might diminish sketches like this, which are so revealing of the artist’s hand. Is it a challenge to consider a drawing like this high art? Curator: Exactly! It pushes against traditional boundaries. We see the materiality of the pencil on paper, the physical act of creation so blatantly displayed. How does this change our understanding of art when we see the labor so clearly? What does the medium itself, humble pencil on paper, contribute to our understanding? Is it a study, a rejected concept, or something with inherent value? Editor: I guess it forces me to consider the worth we assign to different stages of artistic production. Maybe the "unfinished" quality is what makes it so captivating, the unfiltered glimpse into De Poorter’s creative thinking. Curator: Precisely. We confront not just an image but also the entire system of artistic creation, labor, and, ultimately, consumption of art. It allows us to examine not just WHAT we're seeing but HOW and WHY. Editor: This has really changed my perspective. I see how looking closely at materials and process gives the work deeper value, beyond just what it depicts! Curator: And, perhaps, helps us question those initial values altogether.