De scharensliep 1700 - 1800

W. Barthautz’s ‘De scharensliep’ is rendered in watercolor, a medium often associated with immediacy, but here deployed to depict a scene of traditional craft. The artist captures the labor of a knife sharpener, a familiar sight in many towns. The very process of sharpening, grinding metal against stone, requires a hands-on skill passed down through generations. The itinerant craftsman would move from place to place with his tools. This is represented here in the wooden framed pedal operated sharpening wheel, placed on a wheeled cart. Barthautz makes us consider the social and economic realities of the tradesmen depicted. The sharpening process, while essential, is a world away from the refined art of watercolor painting, yet they both represent a type of work. Looking closely at materials and making gives us insight into the world captured in this artwork, dissolving boundaries between art, labor, and everyday life.