Blue Interior 1883

Editor: This is Harriet Backer's "Blue Interior," painted in 1883 using oil paint. I'm really drawn to how the light filters through the room, highlighting the various textures. How would you interpret this piece, particularly focusing on its materials and construction? Curator: What I find most compelling is how Backer uses humble materials to evoke a sense of domesticity and the lives of women at the time. Note how she handles the oil paint, applying it in ways that emphasize the textures of the fabrics and the wood. This connects to a broader concern about artistic labor— Backer elevates what might be seen as mundane, traditionally female, domestic activities, to the level of high art through the materiality of the work itself. Do you see how the painting's value is intertwined with the way these materials are treated and represented? Editor: I see what you mean. The textures are definitely brought to the fore; they make you think about the act of crafting and building. The choice of a domestic setting must also play a part in that conversation about labour? Curator: Precisely! By focusing on a private, domestic sphere, Backer draws attention to the often invisible labour that sustains those spaces, and by extension, society. She prompts a critical view about consumption and the societal forces governing labour within such spaces. The very ‘stuff’ of the scene embodies these issues. Editor: So, instead of just seeing a peaceful interior, we're invited to consider the hands that created it and the social context shaping those hands. Curator: Exactly. The art isn’t just the image; it's a record of its making and of the social conditions of its time. Backer isn't just representing an interior; she's presenting a commentary on work, materials, and value. Editor: This has changed how I see this painting! It's no longer just a pretty picture but a statement about labor, gender and materiality.