Het koren 1894 - 1959

Curator: Oh, hello! This artwork, titled "Het koren," translates to "The Grain," and its production period is listed from 1894 to 1959. It's a print held at the Rijksmuseum. It gives off a really nostalgic and almost… instructional feel to me. There's something about its straightforward depiction of the wheat-to-bread process that I find charmingly antiquated. How do you interpret this work, considering its rather unique presentation? Editor: I find that description extremely helpful; antiquated indeed! Its depiction of the lifecycle and folksy charm has an undeniable aesthetic pull. From tilling to harvest to grinding the wheat with windmills and the eventual making of the bread and selling of it at the store: it reminds me of simpler times. Curator: It really does bring you there. It reminds me of looking at an old-fashioned comic or children's book that might gently educate you. Think of it like a snapshot of a time valuing that close connection between our work and the food we eat; almost like a quiet admiration of the farming lifestyle, with subtle emphasis on that end product that is food production. It is a reminder of the value chain involved in just putting bread on our table, almost taken for granted today! Don't you think the narrative quality feels particularly important, giving that chronological element in comic book style? Editor: Definitely. The comic-style element not only narrates but simplifies this message about our historical values on our essential foods, bread! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, the message behind the image makes me more aware now. Curator: And I believe seeing it with fresh eyes reminds us of all these values we’ve learned. Thank you for letting me interpret this gem together with you today!