Three Girls in a Wood c. 19th century

Curator: Here we have Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena’s “Three Girls in a Wood,” currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The figures almost glow against that deeply shadowed background. Their clothing looks rather tactile, like velvet and maybe some silk? Curator: Indeed. Diaz de la Pena was known for his landscapes, but this painting really emphasizes the figures within that landscape. There's a theatrical quality to it, a staged presentation of innocence. Editor: The focus on their garments is interesting. Who made them? What were the conditions of their production? These girls are adorned, almost presented for consumption, and those fabrics tell a story of labor and value. Curator: It's a fascinating insight. This piece invites us to consider not just the romanticism of the scene, but the socio-economic structures that frame it. Editor: Absolutely. It's not enough to simply admire the brushstrokes; we must also think about the hands, perhaps less visible, that contributed to its creation. Curator: A powerful reminder that art is always intertwined with the social fabric that produces it. Editor: Precisely. The material world, and its impact, are inseparable from the image before us.