Two McLaughlin Pears n.d.

Curator: So, here we have "Two McLaughlin Pears", an oil painting by Anna Eliza Hardy. I find its quiet simplicity rather lovely, don't you think? Editor: At first glance, it's humble, almost severe. It’s very controlled and the material components strike me— the pigment choices, the implied labor in building those forms from essentially dirt and oil...It invites a conversation about the value we place on certain kinds of work. Curator: Absolutely, I'm glad you picked up on that controlled aspect, there's something quite serene in that stillness. The light plays so delicately across the skin of those pears. To me they feel incredibly precious. Almost like she's trying to capture the essence of a fleeting moment. Editor: Indeed. I see the appeal of realism here but, I can't help but consider the agricultural labor necessary to cultivate such produce and that feeds directly into this painting existing for someone to enjoy. What sort of statement do you feel she's making by elevating such an ordinary subject with this style of representational exactitude? Curator: A good point! Perhaps she saw beauty in the everyday that others overlooked. It does seem to echo earlier Dutch still lives but is notably pared down. Maybe it's a gentle commentary on simple living, about appreciating what we have right in front of us, rendered with intense devotion. Editor: Maybe, though the deliberate arrangement does prompt one to wonder about the broader economics. What if one thinks about these paintings existing, not merely for quiet contemplation, but as markers of cultivated taste? Who does Anna Eliza Hardy believe would want to enjoy this, and how do we know? Curator: It's an intriguing thought and certainly casts the work in a new light. Maybe it is all a bit too controlled. Perhaps the artist felt confined herself, and that's seeping into the stillness on display. Editor: And what does it tell us about what a "fine" painting can and cannot depict? Perhaps our expectations surrounding who determines that in the first place? Curator: Food for thought indeed! Maybe next time I make pear crumble, I'll be reflecting on economics and agricultural labor alongside the buttery crumb. Editor: Ha, fair enough. Perhaps the humble pear can hold multitudes, after all!