Two McLaughlin Pears n.d.

Curator: So here we have “Two McLaughlin Pears,” painted with oils by Jeremiah Pearson Hardy sometime during his career. I wonder what your immediate reaction to this painting is? Editor: Oh, it's calm. A quiet sort of calm. Like catching the tail end of a really good afternoon light. Feels very… domestic, almost like glimpsing a secret moment. And those pears practically glow against that subdued background! Curator: The ‘domestic’ quality speaks to the Victorian era when still life painting gained prominence among the middle class as accessible decoration. Consider the symbolic meanings attributed to fruit, like prosperity, mortality, or even sensuality. How might this work fit that context? Editor: Sensuality? Maybe. Those gentle curves have got something going on, especially with the glossy table mirroring them. But honestly, prosperity and mortality feel heavy-handed here. It’s more like Hardy simply enjoyed capturing how light loved those pears that day. Sometimes, a pear is just a pear! Curator: But can we ignore how galleries and wealthy patrons often dictated which artists received support, or the Victorian's obsession with "proper" subject matter? Still lifes were deemed more acceptable than, say, radical depictions of social struggle. Editor: Absolutely. The market shapes everything, no doubt. Yet, even within those constraints, the artist's unique touch remains. And I think the artist's joy jumps right out of this piece! Curator: Yes. Hardy uses very controlled brushstrokes to depict light, but I wonder what type of personal symbolism he attributes to his decision-making while portraying these elements… Editor: Maybe it was like a personal challenge! How to find all the hues hidden within the mundane. Brown table, greenish yellow pears – yet look at the light and blush of color. I'd guess, like for me, it was a playful experiment of making beauty out of something humble. Curator: It seems we agree. Considering art's entanglement within societal norms reveals a lot. Still, appreciating art’s nuances provides something to be enjoyed as well. Thank you. Editor: Likewise. Turns out, diving into pears wasn't so fruitless after all!