Staande vrouw met kind 1865 - 1930

Jac van Looij created this sketch of a standing woman with child, using graphite on paper. The image depicts a maternal subject, one which has its own complex history in European art. Made in the Netherlands, this work invites us to consider the social position of women at the turn of the century. During this period, motherhood was idealized. But the image also evokes the economic hardships faced by many working-class women and mothers in Dutch cities. How might the art market and its institutions have shaped Jac van Looij’s decision to represent this subject matter? Did he intend to idealize or critique the social role of women? Perhaps both. Historians of art rely on archives, periodicals, and exhibition reviews to understand the varying social contexts of art. These resources help us reflect on the meaning of art as something contingent on social and institutional context.