Dimensions: support: 759 x 625 mm frame: 955 x 820 x 90 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have "The Doctor's Visit" by Egbert III Van Heemskerk. It's a rather theatrical scene. What do you make of the materiality of the painting itself, given the obvious display of wealth? Curator: Consider the pigments used: were they locally sourced or imported? The texture of the canvas, and the layering of paint reveal much about the artist's process and the economic value placed on artistry itself. Is this a commentary on the commodification of care? Editor: Interesting, so it's not just about the subject of the painting, but the cost of making it? Curator: Precisely! The means of production, the labor involved, and the implied consumption all contribute to the artwork's meaning. The materials tell a story of class and access. Editor: I never thought of it that way. I'm starting to see the painting as a product of its time, not just a representation of it. Curator: Exactly, and how does that change your interpretation?
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/van-heemskerk-the-doctors-visit-t00808
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The Heemskerk family of painters, originally from Haarlem, settled in London in the 1670s. Heemskerk senior specialised in low-life scenes set in shops, taverns or meeting houses. He appears to have trained a son as a painter, who was also a singer at Sadler's Wells. Heemskerk junior was a coarse imitator of his father's works, adapting similar compositions with updated costumes. The subject of a dying man surrounded by lamenting family and friends, and by representatives of the church, the law, and of medicine, was a popular one and exists in many versions. Heemskerk's paintings were often attributed to Hogarth as early as the eighteenth century. Gallery label, September 2004
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