Jongen tekent op de muur 1824 - 1825

Editor: Here we have "Boy Drawing on the Wall," a watercolor made around 1824 by Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove. The scene feels so intimate, like we're catching a private moment. What do you see in this piece beyond a simple genre scene? Curator: Well, looking through a historical lens, it speaks to broader societal attitudes towards childhood and education at the time. Genre paintings became popular because the burgeoning middle class began desiring art for their homes and lives. How did they want to see themselves depicted? Editor: You mean, like seeing childhood portrayed as innocent and creative, reflecting aspirations for their own kids? Curator: Exactly! The Romantics were beginning to push for art that speaks to something innate, untutored – so here we see van Hove capturing this ‘natural’ moment in what we perceive to be art. He’s doing that literally by representing a boy capturing this impulse to make, which really only lives on ephemeral locations like a wall. Editor: So it’s about the democratisation of art and childhood, in a way? This everyday setting becoming a site of cultural commentary. Curator: Precisely. Notice also the public-facing role of art, moving out of the aristocratic salon and onto…well, the walls of society. Editor: I hadn't considered the wall itself as a deliberate statement. Curator: Indeed! Think about the "public" wall and this impulse this artist wants to say about what art does in our culture at that specific moment in time. Editor: It makes me see so much more in what seemed like a straightforward image. It’s fascinating to consider how art is not just made, but how the idea of "art" itself changes and circulates through society.