Eulenspiegel und seine Familie 

Editor: This is "Eulenspiegel und seine Familie" by Pieter Moninckx, a drawing on paper using chalk and colored pencils. It has this informal feeling to it, depicting what looks like a domestic scene. What do you see in it? Curator: I’m drawn to the means of production here. Look at the texture created by the chalk and colored pencil on paper, likely a readily available material. The roughness juxtaposes the detailed depiction of tools. Do you see them? Editor: Yes, woodworking tools. Is this highlighting labor then, the everyday making and mending? Curator: Precisely. Notice how the family's clothing seems worn. The artist might be commenting on class and consumption. Was the availability and affordability of paper a factor in choosing this medium for this artwork? The materials dictate the type of artistic labor at play, distinct from oil paintings. Editor: It makes you wonder about the artist's intentions behind using accessible materials and depicting a common scene like this. How was something like that perceived during that time period? Curator: Perhaps Moninckx aimed to blur the lines between high art and craft, elevating everyday life by carefully representing materiality. Or maybe they reflect a culture increasingly preoccupied with the individual, and documenting one’s milieu. Considering the social context, would such genre scenes then empower the viewer, or become yet another object of commodification? Editor: That gives me a different perspective. Instead of just seeing a simple family scene, it is possible to reflect on consumption and labor during the period, using material choices to give clues. Curator: Absolutely, by looking closely at the materials and how the work was made, we gain insight into the socio-economic conditions of the time.