Twee pratende oude vrouwen 1850 - 1865

Editor: Here we have "Twee pratende oude vrouwen" – or "Two Talking Old Women" – created between 1850 and 1865 by Adolf Carel Nunnink. It's an etching printed on paper, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. My first thought is, it feels like we're eavesdropping on a private conversation. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Eavesdropping is right! There's an undeniable intimacy, a world unto itself created in that small gathering around the tea table. The etching itself, the starkness of black and white, gives it this almost voyeuristic quality, like a glimpse into a past world filtered through memory. Makes you wonder what secrets are being whispered, doesn’t it? Or perhaps it's not secrets, but simply the everyday stories that stitch a life together. Editor: Absolutely. And the realism, the detailed rendering of their faces, their clothing… it feels very immediate, doesn't it? Almost like a photograph. Curator: Precisely! It is immediate and the clothing adds a certain gravitas, an attention to the everyday, transformed into something worthy of record. Do you think it idealizes them at all, or presents them "as is"? Editor: Hmm, that's a great question. I'm not sure. There's a kind of formality in their poses that feels a bit posed, yet their expressions seem natural. Curator: It’s the kind of balance I think Nunnink struck masterfully. He observed but also subtly shaped what he saw. It is like when you remember someone: the facts blend with feeling. It makes the work so much more compelling and I dare say human. Editor: It really does. It's a great reminder that even seemingly simple genre scenes can be incredibly layered and revealing. Curator: Yes, and hopefully next time, you too, will create an equally evocative scene! Now go.