Earth c. 1675

Curator: This is Gérard de Lairesse's etching, "Earth," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a softness to it despite the medium. It almost feels like a dream, a quiet, fertile moment. Curator: It's an allegorical piece, likely intended as part of a series representing the four elements. Lairesse was very interested in classical antiquity. Editor: Right. And the sensuality, the reclining nude, that's straight out of classical tropes used to perpetuate patriarchal narratives. Curator: That's certainly a reading. The earth provides, nurtures… it's a very maternal, even vulnerable image, though, which complicates those narratives. Editor: I do agree, and it also speaks to the symbolic power of land and nature that continues today. Curator: An interesting consideration. Thank you for sharing. Editor: Thank you, that was insightful.