Springtime in the Region of the Main 1900

Curator: Hans Thoma, born in 1839, invites us into "Springtime in the Region of the Main," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a scene teeming with life and labor. Editor: It feels like a distant memory, seen through sepia-toned glass. The light is almost divine, yet it illuminates everyday toil. Curator: Consider how the light transforms the ordinary – a river becomes a source of life, a field, a place of work. Thoma's skill with etching elevates this into something transcendent. Editor: The horses are so central, like cogs in this landscape's machinery. You can almost smell the earth, the honest labor. Curator: The printmaking process itself mirrors that labor, the meticulous carving, the repetitive press. Editor: It makes you think about the unseen hands, the craftspeople who make these images accessible, not just the artist's vision. A lovely meditation on spring and work.