Portret van een man met witte baard en kapje op het hoofd, naar links 1749

Editor: We're looking at a drawing from 1749 titled "Portret van een man met witte baard en kapje op het hoofd, naar links" - or, Portrait of a Man with White Beard and Cap, facing left. It’s made with charcoal. It’s pretty striking… How do you interpret this work? Curator: I’m drawn to the visible labor in this drawing. Look at the hatching – the clear marks, built layer upon layer. This wasn’t effortless creation. What sort of societal pressures do you think contributed to the style and means of artistic production during this time period? Editor: Well, it looks almost photorealistic... Did that come from societal expectation for artists at the time? Curator: Partly. The use of charcoal—a readily available and relatively inexpensive material—speaks to a particular mode of production. Who would have been able to afford painting, and how might charcoal have served as preliminary sketches? It also offers insight into the studio practices of the 18th century. How does its materiality speak to class? Editor: I never thought about charcoal as inexpensive back then, I was so focused on the finished work! Knowing that affects how I perceive it. Thanks! Curator: Precisely! We shift our attention from simply admiring skill to considering how access, economics, and labour influenced its making.