Zittende moeder met kind en spelende kinderen 1779

Curator: Here we have Pieter de Mare's "Seated Mother with Child and Playing Children," a drawing dating back to 1779. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s such an intimate glimpse. The pen work is delicate, but the scene feels so full. There's a tenderness radiating from that seated figure, juxtaposed with a flurry of playful children in that circular vignette. Curator: The artist captures a very popular genre scene here: motherhood, childhood. Consider the rise of sentimentalism during this period. Family life was placed under a new magnifying glass within Western society. De Mare portrays it with a somewhat classical calmness. Editor: Look closer though, at the material conditions of its production. Pen and paper-- accessible tools. The quick sketch speaks to a reality far from idealized depictions of domestic life. How were such images consumed and who were they for? I can imagine that many could connect to the imagery. Curator: This was right on the cusp of major socio-political changes, before industrialisation took its full effect, although a capitalist system had been structuring itself for centuries already. You start to see increased images reflecting middle-class norms about domestic life, which gets reflected even more strongly in paintings that romanticize it. Editor: It’s all connected. Materials, the maker’s hand, consumption of the final work - it reveals much more about society. What the elites of the time promoted through these paintings, and also what their economic interests were at stake by celebrating specific social values through paintings. Curator: Indeed, this piece, and similar ones, act as historical documents to analyze power structures through the celebration of domestic ideals. It also is meant for a wide consumption and reflects societal views that people like de Mare wished to convey. Editor: It invites us to question, though: How many truly experienced such domestic idylls in those days, especially given socio-economic conditions and production of raw materials to facilitate domestic labour? And do we experience similar pressure now when witnessing this idealized image? Curator: Absolutely. The social context really pushes us to reflect on that. Editor: Seeing the piece and thinking about it allows for that space, yes. Thank you for the lesson. Curator: My pleasure, an interesting interpretation indeed.