Liggend varken c. 1657 - 1761

Curator: We are standing before Marcus de Bye's "Liggend varken," or "Lying Pig," an etching dating from around 1657 to 1761. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. Editor: It has such an oddly peaceful yet melancholy atmosphere, don't you think? The contrast between the resting pig and the derelict wooden fence is really striking. Curator: Indeed. De Bye masterfully uses etching to depict a genre scene with realist tendencies and hints of a Dutch Golden Age landscape. Consider the intricate detail in rendering the pig's coarse hair. Editor: And that lone bird in the sky – is it escaping something? It almost speaks to the social standing of pigs at the time, perhaps a commentary on human consumption or something like that? Curator: The print's success, formally speaking, hinges on how de Bye organizes depth. He manages to portray this with a keen eye, employing line and hatching. The landscape fading into the background is just brilliant, no? Editor: I’m wondering, what did this imagery communicate to viewers at the time, as a print? Did they view such art, such scenes as this, primarily as art, or perhaps reminders of societal functions in relation to, for instance, food gathering? Curator: That is a rather difficult question to answer with great certainly. However, the very subject challenges our romanticizing tendencies and brings a grounded sense of perspective into focus, as it reflects 17th century agricultural realities. The choice to focus on what many at that time would think is quite prosaic points towards genre painting in the Low Countries as well. Editor: Perhaps that subversion of the hierarchy, focusing on that which would be regarded less of a theme is also an approach to realism which makes one relate to the scenery in a non-hierarchical manner? One thinks immediately about this pig who’s lounging about. Curator: Possibly, yes! Seeing this work through those socio-historical and formalistic lenses offers some illuminating observations. Editor: Absolutely, it brings new perspective to this quiet image of a pig under a seemingly endless sky!