Buste van een lachende boer 1660 - 1941

Curator: Welcome. We’re looking at Adriaen van Ostade’s “Bust of a Laughing Peasant," an etching housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Its date of creation is somewhere between 1660 and 1941. Editor: What a charmer! There's a warmth to this, like a snapshot of pure, unfiltered joy caught on the fly. Makes you wonder what the joke was, doesn’t it? Or what story has prompted his grin. Curator: Indeed. Ostade was known for his genre paintings depicting peasant life in Haarlem. Etchings like this one offered a wider audience access to such scenes. The democratization of art, if you will. Editor: The democratisation of art and this fellow feels timeless. And the details! Each etched line on his face maps out a lifetime of hard work and perhaps good cheer, if that smile is anything to go by. Curator: He has captured something authentic here, hasn’t he? These types, in painting, were often romanticized, caricatured even, to reinforce societal hierarchies. But with Ostade there’s more sympathy, a keen observation. Editor: Absolutely, not in a preachy way. It reminds me of my grandfather who’d sit on the porch swapping tales and jokes. I appreciate how honest this rendering feels. The wrinkles around the eyes, the slightly askew cap... realness. Curator: I think that's the etching’s true appeal, its immediacy. Prints, through their accessibility, can invite us to scrutinize those considered "everyday" characters, helping them appear less distant or other. Ostade allowed art buyers into this peasant’s world to share a moment of joy. Editor: It’s pretty stunning how such a simple portrait manages to convey a whole world of stories. After really looking at it, I am sure I have met this chap at one point. Art continues to unite us. Curator: A perfect way to end. It’s this dialogue that shows the ongoing relevance and historical work surrounding artworks that are made many eras ago. Editor: Cheers to this fellow’s laugh reminding me to savour moments and the marks left by living a full life!