The Sense of Touch 1744 - 1747

Curator: Philippe Mercier, a Prussian artist working in England, painted "The Sense of Touch" between 1744 and 1747. It's an oil on canvas. Editor: Wow, it’s got that fussy, domestic air of the 18th century. That odd little grouping, they almost seem caught in aspic. Is it supposed to be… intimate? Curator: Indeed. The "conversation piece," as it is categorized, often presents an idealized scene of family or social interaction. But look closer—it's also a genre painting, attempting to capture a slice of life, and it speaks to the cultural significance placed on sensibility, or feeling, in that era. Touch, in particular, was linked to knowledge, social standing and empathy. Editor: The light is definitely drawing me to the hands, literally. The way the child's little hand reaches toward the cat, then the man deep in thought touching his chin. You're right! Touch all over the place, from subtle to overt. Curator: Notice, too, how Mercier strategically places each figure. The arrangement, despite its apparent spontaneity, forms a structured composition, where gesture and glance convey relationships of power and affection. What might the figures be thinking about? Editor: Mmm. It feels a bit staged, honestly. Almost like actors frozen mid-scene. Maybe the point *is* the artifice. To show an idealized notion of what it means to be 'feeling' and upper crust, not so much actual, raw emotion. That boy getting an embrace, seems kind of trapped between bodies there in the back. Curator: Precisely. The rococo style, with its emphasis on elegance and decoration, often presented a highly cultivated world, one deliberately distanced from the realities of everyday life, a curated emotional space that still shapes the narratives we tell about family. Editor: Maybe that's why the cat seems the most honest thing in the picture, simply present in its soft furriness. The people, however lovely, are trying to project something... which may be why they feel untouchable, frozen outside reality. Curator: An interesting perspective. These symbolic arrangements serve to create a narrative and impart subtle meaning for a particular social and cultural moment. The 'meaning of family', let's say. Editor: Leaving us to fill in the silences... or imagine our own version of touch. Food for thought, thanks for untangling some of that.