Mother’s Pride 1911

Franz von Defregger painted this scene of domestic tenderness, Mother’s Pride, using delicate brushstrokes and a warm, earthy palette. Look at how the light gently illuminates the mother's face, drawing our attention to her tender gaze. I bet Defregger sat with this painting for days, maybe weeks, figuring out how to capture that feeling, that total absorption of a mother with her new baby. I can imagine him, brush in hand, trying to get it just right. The way she holds the baby’s tiny hand, the soft folds of the linen, the cozy atmosphere – all these details create a real sense of intimacy. Maybe he was thinking of his own mother? There's something timeless about this scene, this universal experience of motherhood that painters keep coming back to. It’s as though they’re all trying to get at some fundamental human truth that connects us. It's paintings like this that remind us what it is to be human, and it's a conversation we're still having today.