Twee mezen op een tak 1875

Floris Verster drew these two tits on a branch using graphite and charcoal, sometime during his career in the late 19th and early 20th century. Verster, who came from an upper-middle-class background, lived during a period of significant social change, including the rise of industrialization, urbanization, and evolving class structures. These shifts influenced artists like Verster, who often focused on everyday subjects, like these birds. It makes me think about the ways in which the domestic sphere was changing for women during this time. The birds, perched together, evoke a sense of companionship and the intimacy of domestic life. Are the birds a metaphor for the artist's own views on relationships and society? Or an attempt to retreat into the simplicity of nature, away from the complexities of societal issues? Through its depiction of nature and subtle emotional undertones, the artwork invites viewers to contemplate their own place within the broader cultural and social landscape of the time, and perhaps, even today.