A Barn Interior With A Maid Preparing Vegetables 1643

Here is a painting made by David Teniers the Younger, sometime in the 17th century. It is made with oil paint on canvas. If we focus on the material qualities of this work, it’s not just a picture of a kitchen. It's a painting of work. The artist has painstakingly described the surfaces of things: the dull gleam of the copper pot, the rough texture of the basket, the smooth pile of the cheeses. All these objects evoke labor – farm labor, domestic labor, the labor of the market. The painting is a celebration of craft traditions and humble materials. By ennobling them through the act of careful representation, Teniers elevated the status of ordinary people and their daily lives. While he himself worked for wealthy patrons, he was clearly fascinated by the everyday craftsmanship that made their comfortable lives possible. Ultimately, the work reminds us of the importance of acknowledging the skill and effort involved in the making of things, and of recognizing the value of both artistic and domestic labor.