Paying the Hostess 1658

Editor: So, this is Pieter de Hooch's "Paying the Hostess" from 1658. It’s an oil painting and something about the setting, the figures, the tilework…it all feels so distinctly Dutch. How do you read this scene? Curator: I read it as a very deliberate staging of materials and social roles. Look at the clothing. The textiles used to create their clothes, like the presumed source, the implied patterns of trade routes and merchant capital from this period in Dutch history that influenced the artist and their selection. Do you notice how much emphasis the painter gave to that tile floor, or the thickness of the drapes and costumes? Editor: Definitely, and I notice the light feels natural, coming in through the window...so deliberate in creating depth. Is de Hooch commenting on the materialism of the era? Curator: Precisely. The artist isn’t simply representing a scene but constructing a narrative around the materials that define these people. How does that checkered floor interact with the placement of people of varied status in the tavern's implied setting? Consider also the societal rules implicit in the labor required to procure and prepare the materials that give a painting like this its financial value today. The sitter paid a small price; the viewer in the 17th century perhaps somewhat more...and you and I still later. Editor: So the focus is shifted from the "story" to the socio-economic conditions that underpin it? Curator: Exactly. The means of production aren’t just background. They’re the foundation upon which this whole society and this specific scene are built. Think about how class distinctions are visualized. It is amazing to consider how our perspective changes over time when appreciating the materiality. Editor: That makes me see this familiar type of genre painting in such a different light. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure.