Vrouw geeft een kind borstvoeding 1929

Curator: Let's discuss this tender portrayal of motherhood, "Vrouw geeft een kind borstvoeding," or "Woman Breastfeeding a Child" as it translates, a pencil drawing completed by Armand Rassenfosse in 1929. Editor: Aww, this is lovely. The light feels so delicate, almost ephemeral. I feel like I am catching a private, intimate moment. Curator: The intimacy is certainly key here. Rassenfosse worked in a period increasingly focused on depicting domesticity and the private sphere, especially the idealized image of motherhood. You see how the nude figure evokes classical traditions while placing her in this very specific role. Editor: The gentle curves created with pencil are doing a lot of work in the depiction of care. There’s an almost sacred feeling… though knowing what babies are actually like makes me chuckle a bit! I wonder if Rassenfosse ever experienced the messiness. Curator: Well, that's the intriguing thing. These portrayals, especially when made by men, tended to erase any complexity of labor, turning motherhood into a symbolic ideal rather than an lived experience. But it must also be said, this piece isn't exhibited within religious spaces but art galleries. Editor: Good point! So is it challenging social convention by its depiction, or just sort of riding its coattails in order to explore a relationship? I love how it isn’t explicitly sexualized though it teeters on the border—which may have been risque back then, perhaps! Curator: Definitely a dialogue with norms! Showing a nude mother and child, away from strict allegory, placed maternal sensuality into broader conversations. Its role within contemporary social attitudes should definitely be considered. Editor: I feel so warm and content imagining being wrapped up in this pencil drawing. Maybe all images are just an idealized reality anyway! Thanks for sharing your insights. Curator: Thank you! Considering historical perspectives alongside subjective experience—that's really how these artworks truly come alive, don’t you agree?