Drie staande vrouwen in gesprek 1874 - 1927

Curator: This is “Drie staande vrouwen in gesprek,” or "Three Standing Women in Conversation," created sometime between 1874 and 1927 by Johan Antonie de Jonge. It's a captivating little piece that employs a mix of watercolor and colored pencil, a choice that adds to its intimate and slightly ethereal feel. Editor: It’s definitely moody. I get a sense of secrets being shared under a rather gloomy sky, even if that sky is just suggested. They almost seem like they’re huddling together against some unseen force. Curator: Exactly, and I think de Jonge captured a really fascinating moment of quiet, everyday interaction. We often see idealized images of women in art of this period, but here we get a sense of real people, gossiping, maybe complaining, perhaps even plotting. Editor: Plotting, you say? Now there's an interesting angle. The loose brushstrokes and visible pencil work add to the immediacy, like we’re glimpsing a fleeting moment, not a posed tableau. It's as if the artist wants us to feel as though we’re eavesdropping on a private chat. Curator: Well, the artist may have wanted something of that very effect. Given the time frame, we need to think about the growth of the middle classes and new possibilities for women, even if unspoken in much of the era's artwork. Group portraits were en vogue and conveyed much more about a family's status in society and social interaction. Genre paintings offered an intimate peek into that social realm, where many found an active way of representing themselves. Editor: It’s lovely how the light catches on their shawls. Those yellow ochre and cobalt blue dabs really pull the eye in. De Jonge might have felt moved by an actual sight but created, ultimately, a melancholic piece open for speculation. The charm here definitely lies in what's *not* being told. Curator: True. The very ambiguity gives us room to bring our own interpretations. Editor: For me, there is an almost wistful tenderness there that is just heartbreakingly human. Curator: For me, it is the fact that even the mundane interactions, are, in effect, the actual stories of our society.