Fish 1655 - 1689

Editor: This striking oil painting, simply titled "Fish," was created sometime between 1655 and 1689 by Frans van Cuyck de Myerhop. The dramatic lighting really emphasizes the texture of the fish. What strikes you about it? Curator: What I see are raw materials transformed. Not just the fish, of course, but also the very pigment pressed from earth and minerals, combined with oil, applied with labor onto a canvas stretched taut. Consider the Dutch Golden Age: global trade was booming. Can we see a link between this artistic "catch" and broader themes of labor and the dinner table in that context? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't really considered it in that light. Are you suggesting this still life is less about capturing the beauty of the fish and more about…consumption itself? Curator: Exactly. Look at how the fish are displayed: prepped, cut, ready. Consider how van Cuyck, through this act of representing fish ready for market, is also indirectly showing the systems that put it on the table. Dutch society and economy during that period was hugely involved with fishing and shipping. Does it change how you see the piece, now, reflecting on this complex history of material culture and the everyday experience? Editor: It definitely adds a new layer. I was focused on the aesthetic—the chiaroscuro, the realistic depiction. I see it as less about simple beauty, and more about making a record of labor and consumption. Curator: And not just *any* labor. Van Cuyck’s skilled hand transforming base materials elevates this simple still life, but what does it reflect when that is contrasted to the grueling lives of fisherman who supply these luxury items? The making of art about consumption... it makes me question high art versus craft traditions. Food paintings of the period and earlier were commissioned to represent wealth and trade and global control, but this makes me question... Editor: This definitely changed my understanding of Golden Age still lifes. Thanks for sharing your expertise!