Two Peasants Sitting on a Bench c. 18th century

Curator: This is Ferdinand Kobell’s "Two Peasants Sitting on a Bench," residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Kobell was active in the late 18th century, but the date of this work is unknown. Editor: It looks so…cozy, in a slightly unsettling way. Like a snapshot of a private, perhaps tipsy, moment. All that cross-hatching gives it such a dense, enclosed feel. Curator: The imagery of peasants, of course, taps into archetypal notions of the earth, of simple living, often romanticized, but with a darker undercurrent. Editor: I see it! The jug, the discarded pipe—they're almost props in this little drama. And look at their hats! Makes you wonder, what are they really celebrating? Curator: Indeed. Hats can symbolize status, belonging. Perhaps Kobell is playing with the iconography of the common man. Editor: Or just capturing a very human moment, stripped bare of its finery. Regardless, it's thought-provoking how Kobell uses light and shadow to enhance the subjects' state of mind. Curator: It reminds us that art has always been interested in the lives of ordinary people and, in a way, immortalizing that moment. Editor: Exactly! And I'm so glad Kobell did. It is an endearing slice of life.