Boerengezin 1656 - 1690

Editor: We’re looking at "Boerengezin," or "Peasant Family," a print by Gerrit Lucasz van Schagen, dating from sometime between 1656 and 1690. The family is rendered in intricate engraving, set against a vast landscape, they seem burdened yet determined. What draws your eye in this piece? Curator: Ah, Gerrit Lucasz van Schagen, yes! Immediately, it’s the faces – craggy, etched with a life clearly not overflowing with luxury. But isn't there a raw dignity in those lines? Makes you wonder what stories that old woman holding the baby could tell. The landscape, sparse as it is, really sets the stage – it's them against the world, isn't it? A microcosm of the human condition, etched in ink. Editor: Definitely! The landscape does make them feel isolated. I'm curious about the medium; printmaking feels like a deliberate choice here, doesn't it? Curator: Spot on! Engraving, especially during the Dutch Golden Age, was a means of mass communication. To me, it's like van Schagen wanted to democratize the image, to give this family, so often overlooked, a voice. Also notice how his lines are not neat – more expressive, which somehow fits. What do you reckon the bird in the sky symbolises, eh? Editor: Freedom, maybe? A chance they don’t have. Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe just…life, carrying on, oblivious to their struggle. Who's to say for sure? What I love is it’s all there for us to ponder – the artist shares an observation but lets the viewers conclude it themselves. Editor: I like how that one bird, or his style gives even mundane subjects dignity. I’m certainly thinking about engravings a bit differently now! Curator: Yes, it feels like Van Schagen elevates this simple family portrait to a complex visual story about perseverance and simple human dignity. A quiet poem.