La toilette pour le bain 1863

Editor: Here we have "La toilette pour le bain," a woodcut print created by Lorenz Frølich in 1863. It gives off a cozy, domestic feeling. What's your take on this seemingly simple genre scene? Curator: There's a story whispered in the delicate lines of that woodcut, isn't there? The intimate moment, the child's reluctance… It pulls you into that bath time tussle. I imagine the Frølich himself watching his own children. Does that rebellion remind you of any sibling behaviour perhaps? Editor: Totally! What strikes me most is how this piece captures such a fleeting, everyday struggle. The raw emotion with minimal lines. Is it common for Romantic era art to reflect simple life? Curator: The Romantics were all about emotion. Yes, many focused on grand themes, but, ah, others found beauty in the quiet moments, like Frølich does here. And that little inscription there, the child asserting her identity— “she doesn’t want to be a boy” – suddenly elevates it. Have you any thought about gendered expectations? Editor: Wow, I didn't even think of it that way. I just thought she was a brat refusing a bath! Curator: (Chuckles) Well, art reveals what you’re ready to see. Maybe, with Frølich’s help, we are seeing more clearly! Editor: This has definitely shed some new light for me!