Sending the Boy for Beer 1655 - 1657

Curator: Immediately, I feel enveloped by the domesticity, yet a certain… thickness to the air. It's dark but warmly so, do you feel it? Editor: Absolutely. Let's orient our listeners. We are looking at "Sending the Boy for Beer," a painting from circa 1655-1657 by Frans van Mieris the Elder, housed here at the SMK. It's oil on wood, which might contribute to that intimate feeling. A glimpse into a Dutch Golden Age home, no? Curator: Golden maybe in hue but consider those figures. Van Mieris, he gives them to us plain, real. A rosy-cheeked woman enjoying a meal while the menfolk…well, one of them is on an errand, perhaps not so eagerly given his stance, yes? And consider the vegetables there. They remind us of daily living. It pulls me right in to a world of simple survival, with complex social structures. Editor: You’re right, this is genre painting elevated. It seems a clear-eyed depiction of 17th-century life. What resonates with me is Van Mieris’ commitment to realism. But I have a question, why send the boy? Are there suggestions of what sort of society it could have been where he’s being sent? Is there potential drama? Curator: Ah, the unasked questions! Maybe this little tableau mirrors how boys, not men are sent to handle those errands which hold little authority. This creates a familial tableau, right, rather than that social power imbalance? Do you see? Perhaps what is happening is much more commonplace that how much we see and how much our experience changes. I imagine myself as a child like him, maybe feeling resentful or misunderstood and then…nothing. Editor: Indeed. Frans Van Mieris invites our reflection. There’s so much socio-economic data, social commentary. What appears quaint, hides questions. Curator: So, the darkness is the drama then. And not even very big, which gives all the comfort to me! I walk away grateful I understand a little bit more, what about you? Editor: I walk away more grateful and cautious for social constructs. Thank you!