Kijkdagen Possibly 1905

This is a black ink drawing that’s split into two registers, one on top of the other. It's pretty simple. The top is crammed with people and is labeled “Exposition Privée.” Below it is a scene of the same gallery space, but almost empty with the label “Exposition Publique.” I can imagine the artist thinking about the performative aspect of the art world. You know, the opening night crush versus the quiet days after. It's like they’re poking fun at the absurdity of the social scene around art versus the solitary experience of actually looking at it. I wonder if they were satirizing the art world, or just reflecting on how different the experience of art can be depending on who's around. Like, is art really "art" if nobody's there to see it? Food for thought.