The Ryberg Family 1793 - 1797

Editor: So, this is Jens Juel’s "The Ryberg Family," painted between 1793 and 1797. It's oil on canvas and feels very posed and deliberate, almost like a stage set. What are your initial thoughts when you look at this piece? Curator: I immediately consider the socioeconomic context made visible through material display. Look closely at the clothing, the tailoring, the fabrics. What does this tell us about the Ryberg family's wealth and the labor involved in producing these garments? How does the medium of oil paint, with its capacity for rendering textures and surfaces, further contribute to this message? Editor: That’s interesting! I was so focused on the figures themselves, I hadn’t really considered the materials in that way. The woman's dress does look very finely made, and the man's jacket seems like it must have been expensive. Curator: Exactly. And beyond mere expense, think about the craftsmanship itself. The skilled labor of the tailors, the textile workers, the painters who ground the pigments... These individuals and their processes are just as much a part of this "portrait" as the Ryberg family. The brushstrokes create an illusion of silk and velvet, prompting a meditation on luxury and artistic production. Do you notice any discrepancies or perhaps contradictions between the portrayed gentility and the implicit materiality of its making? Editor: Hmm, I guess the artificiality of the posing might hint at something? Is the family almost trying too hard to appear wealthy or cultured, maybe obscuring something? Curator: Precisely. Consider also the canvas itself— where was it woven? Who sized it, and with what? Art isn't created in a vacuum, but born of many labors, often obscured to amplify the prestige of both artist and patron. Considering these unseen hands changes our understanding, doesn’t it? Editor: It really does. I’ll definitely look at paintings differently from now on, thinking about everything that went into their making. Curator: Yes, shifting our focus to the materials and processes allows us to see art as embedded within broader systems of production, labor, and even exploitation.