Visser neemt afscheid van zijn gezin om te gaan werken 1799

Curator: Here we have "Fisherman Bids Farewell to his Family," made around 1799, attributed to William Ward. It’s a watercolor and print. Editor: Oh, it’s instantly melancholic. The soft washes of colour create this pervasive sense of… impending departure, of grey skies pressing down. Curator: Absolutely. And the title, "Morning, the Fisherman's Departure," tells it all. Note how the artist has structured this narrative. The fisherman and his sons are moving toward the sea, while the wife and daughters remain by the cottage, literally left behind. The work highlights a very gendered division of labor. Editor: Right. And look at the contrast. The father seems almost formal in his sturdy attire and bundled lumber, against his family's tender gathering. Is it just me, or does it feel strangely modern in its portrayal of everyday life—domestic duty vs. the harsh labor required for survival? The stool and implements feel so staged, as if capturing both stillness and urgency in daily existence. Curator: Genre painting frequently portrays such themes. Beyond depicting the figure and narrative, Ward uses watercolor and printmaking to depict a socio-economic dynamic. The artist reminds us that the romantic ideal often comes with a heavy reliance on manual, often dangerous labor. It wasn't merely some picturesque seaside view. It reflects their conditions. Editor: Well said. It definitely strips away some of that artifice. Makes me think of the real physical weight carried—not just by the fisherman but by the women left to hold things down. Curator: Precisely, the materials and modes of production speak to the economic underpinnings that allowed such domestic scenes to even exist and to be presented to contemporary society in such artistic form. Editor: Looking again, the grey washes in the sky somehow make that distant white sail shimmer. Like a promise—or a maybe a ghostly reminder—of both risk and return. Thanks, it shifts how I feel about it all. Curator: Yes, each viewing reveals something. Considering the techniques and the social history only deepens its resonance.