Orchestra Chairs 1892

Paul Peel captured this lively group of children in paint, their energy framed by a rustic wooden fence. The fence itself becomes a stage, a barrier between the known and unknown, civilization and nature, and is reminiscent of similar motifs found in Dutch Golden Age paintings, symbolizing both enclosure and the promise of the world beyond. Consider the children’s postures, these echoes of classical gestures. Arms crossed; legs dangling, these attitudes appear in Renaissance portraits, conveying self-assurance. Here, however, there is a playful innocence, a raw energy that connects us to the primal joy of youth. The crossed arms are a barrier, and a signal of exclusion to an interior space we are not permitted to enter. Notice the dog sitting patiently beside the gate. The dog, a symbol of loyalty and domesticity, is present in art across centuries and cultures, and a common symbol of fidelity in Renaissance portraits. In this work, however, he seems to be mirroring the children, also on the threshold, waiting for the adventure to begin. These symbols, these archetypes, speak to a deeper collective memory, resurfacing in Peel’s painting and echoing through the ages.