Fishmonger 18th-19th century

Editor: This is "Fishmonger" by Lambert Antoine Claessens, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's quite striking in its detail, showing a bustling marketplace scene. What social dynamics do you observe in this work? Curator: It’s crucial to consider the historical context. Market scenes like this often romanticized labor, but obscured the realities of working-class existence. Who is included, and who is conspicuously absent, from this idealized vision of the market? Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't thought about the power dynamics inherent in depicting labor like this. Curator: Precisely. And how does the artist's perspective influence the narrative? Whose story is truly being told? It gives us a lens to consider how we view labor in art today. Editor: I'm definitely going to look at similar pieces with that in mind. Thanks!