Sporen van een varken en kasuaris before 1936

Editor: Here we have F. Ockerse's graphic print, "Sporen van een varken en kasuaris", made sometime before 1936. It seems simple at first—just animal tracks—but the stark black on the pale background gives it a strange power. How do you interpret this work? Curator: These aren’t just tracks; they are traces, remnants laden with meaning. Ockerse isn't merely depicting the physical presence of a pig and a cassowary, but evoking the memory and essence of these animals in their absence. The negative space becomes crucial, almost echoing the missing bodies. Consider what the cassowary represented—a symbol of power in certain cultures—juxtaposed with the pig, often associated with sustenance or even impurity. Do you see how the artist is potentially setting up a symbolic dialogue? Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't thought about them representing more than just animals. I was focusing on the realism in how the tracks are depicted. It makes you wonder about the animals themselves in that landscape, the real tracks on real earth. Curator: Precisely! The realism anchors the symbolic representation, adding depth. Think about how footprints themselves function—as historical records, clues, sometimes even prophecies. The artist asks us to read these signs, connecting the physical world with cultural narratives. What do you feel the artist might be suggesting about our relationship to nature by choosing only to represent these ‘sporen’? Editor: I guess, showing only the tracks really emphasizes our distance, or maybe our impact on these creatures and their environments. It certainly makes you think beyond the immediate image. Curator: Indeed. This deceptively simple print reveals how a mere depiction of animal tracks can become a profound statement about memory, representation, and our connection to the natural world.