Dimensions support: 375 x 260 mm
Editor: This is "A Water Carrier" by William Henry Hunt. The support looks like paper and is of modest size. I am struck by the depiction of labor – he looks quite young, and the work appears physically demanding. What can you tell me? Curator: Notice how Hunt portrays the materials of labor: the rough-hewn yoke, the worn buckets. The painting isn’t just about the boy, but the tangible realities of his work. How does Hunt elevate this everyday task? Editor: I suppose it’s through the detail and care taken in rendering the textures of the clothing and equipment. It's more than just documentation; it’s about the experience of labor itself. Curator: Precisely! It brings the physical realities and social context of labor in 19th-century England to the forefront, challenging the norms of high art. Editor: That definitely gives me a fresh perspective on the painting and the artist's possible intentions. Thank you!
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Hunt found many models in Hastings. One family, called the Swains, supplied him for many years. He took the oldest of the lads into his service as his page and model, until he outgrew the office. He was replaced by the next brother, who in turn made room for the youngest of the three. Their faces appear in a number of Hunt’s works during the 1830s. It is probably a Swain boy who is dressed as a water carrier in this work. Gallery label, July 2004
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