The Library of Thorvald Boeck 1902

Curator: Immediately, I am struck by the hushed, contemplative mood conjured by Harriet Backer's "The Library of Thorvald Boeck," completed in 1902. The density of the books gives an almost palpable weight to the scene. Editor: The texture! The brushstrokes seem thick, layering oil upon oil to create this really rich surface. You can practically feel the age and the quiet labor embedded in the scene itself, the furniture, the books. Look at how those books are held, preserved, the hands that must have built this library piece by piece. Curator: The composition is fascinating. The receding lines of the bookshelves create a sense of depth, pulling the viewer into this almost sacred space. Notice how Backer utilizes a limited palette, relying on subtle gradations of brown and ochre to convey a sense of warmth and intimacy. Editor: I’m more interested in what’s not immediately obvious, too. Those materials—the canvas, the oil paint. Were they locally sourced? What was the economic reality for Backer as a female artist trying to represent this space? The chairs in the centre of the room are particularly eye-catching: what are they made from, and what can they tell us about wealth and labour at that time? Curator: An excellent point. Certainly, one can interpret the inclusion of such meticulously rendered furniture as symbolic of Boeck's status and Backer's talent for detailed observation. The way light filters in from the window adds a dimension of almost divine serenity. Editor: Precisely, it seems to romanticize and idealize labour without accounting for the labour behind production of goods: of books and furnishings which we might want to ask: who owns it and what type of labouring activity takes place within such confines. Curator: So, for me the beauty of the piece exists in its formal arrangement, Backer masterfully plays with light and shadow, and the result is the artwork becomes both intimate and grand. Editor: Right but such perspective for the materialist critic exists by assessing labour behind materials, Backer perhaps presents more than a simple, academic and painterly artwork, it exists by presenting and assessing labor itself in cultural spaces.