Three Goats c. 17th century

Curator: Claes Pietersz Berchem's etching, pen, watercolor, and print on paper, titled "Three Goats" from about the 17th century, brings a certain calmness to this gallery, don’t you think? Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the hushed stillness of it. It feels like a captured moment of pastoral existence, all muted tones and subtle gradients. It suggests something beyond just livestock. Curator: Considering Berchem's era, it’s hard not to view even simple scenes through the lens of social hierarchies. Were these goats symbols of prosperity, of rural life romanticized for an increasingly urban audience, or a critique, perhaps, of the lives sustained by agrarian labor? How does their treatment here either uphold or subtly undermine societal structures? Editor: Well, traditionally, goats carry multiple symbolic weights. Often linked to vitality, but sometimes stubbornness and even lechery. Seeing three together evokes the concept of a family, or maybe community. Could this image allude to deeper connections in 17th century Dutch life beyond the literal depiction? Curator: Exactly. Berchem was active during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by immense economic growth but also social stratification. How do you read the image through that socio-political context? Do these animals project contentment or hint at something more restless within that supposed idyll? The subtle shades lend to my interpretation of an impending reckoning. Editor: Perhaps their relaxed posture is misleading. There's a definite gentleness, yet those horns – reminders of a wilder nature. The pastoral wasn’t merely about peacefulness; it carried potent reminders of nature's raw, untamed strength, which had great significance at this time. The way that Berchem layers his marks does seem intentional. Curator: So, considering Berchem's skills in this medium, the symbolism imbued in this, would you suggest "Three Goats" is simply pastoral genre painting? Editor: On the surface, it looks conventional, however when looking at it for a prolonged amount of time, these symbolic undercurrents offer up new dialogues on history. Thank you. Curator: The interplay of subject and symbol is key in artworks like this.