Meisje aan een tafel met een bord eten en een ekster 1868 - 1910

Edgard Farasyn made this small etching of a girl at a table with a plate of food and a magpie. It portrays a young girl indoors, captivated by the magpie perched on the back of her chair. She is resting her head on her hand, elbows on the table, looking with amusement at the bird who seems to be there to steal her food. Farasyn was a Belgian artist who lived between 1858 and 1938. This image gives us a snapshot into the everyday life of a young girl, probably of modest means, in Belgium at the turn of the 20th century. It is not meant to be a grand historical statement; its focus is on the beauty of the everyday. Farasyn finds dignity in the domestic sphere. We can learn more about the print-making techniques of the period and the social context of the image by looking at exhibition catalogues and publications on the art market in Belgium at that time. We can consider too, the significance of the domestic sphere to the visual arts during this period.