Sowing the Seeds (Aussaat) c. 19th century

Curator: This engraving, entitled "Sowing the Seeds," is by Hermann Gocht, and it’s currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. I’m struck by the whimsical, almost carefree depiction of labor here. Editor: Indeed. Look at how the act of sowing is presented! Gocht seems less concerned with the hardship of agricultural labor than with creating a romanticized, perhaps even bourgeois vision of country life. Curator: Consider the clothing, the stance, the overall composition—it’s all incredibly deliberate. The production of this image, an engraving, further removes it from the directness of agricultural work. It's a manufactured view of labor. Editor: Absolutely. It really speaks to the way societal narratives often sanitize the realities of work, especially when presented for consumption by a different social class. Curator: It makes you question what message Gocht aimed to convey about labor and rural life. Editor: Precisely. And who was his intended audience? That's key to understanding the piece's social function.