Vrouw in een deuropening, pratend met een man met kinderen 1641 - 1808

Rembrandt van Rijn made this etching, "Woman in a doorway, talking to a man with children," in the Dutch Republic. The print depicts an intimate scene of daily life, a woman in a doorway talking to a man with children. The setting appears to be in a poorer neighborhood, which Rembrandt often depicted. Holland's Golden Age saw an increase in wealth but also a stark divide between the rich and the poor. Rembrandt’s choice of subject matter could be interpreted as a social commentary, a reflection on the lives of ordinary people. Rembrandt challenged the art institutions of his time by focusing on genre scenes rather than historical or mythological subjects. As historians, we delve into archives and social histories to understand the context in which art is produced and consumed, allowing us to see beyond the aesthetic value and recognize art's role in shaping social norms.