Kinderen, 't geene gy hier ziet, / Is het leven van Jan en Griet 1806 - 1830

Curator: I am immediately drawn to the almost primitive nature of the print. There is a storybook quality that's both intriguing and unsettling, a mood reinforced by its monochrome presentation. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at a print titled "Kinderen, 't geene gy hier ziet, / Is het leven van Jan en Griet," or "Children, what you see here, Is the life of Jan and Griet". Johan Noman created this piece sometime between 1806 and 1830. It's currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Curator: I see a series of scenes, almost like a comic strip, telling some kind of story. Each panel depicts different domestic situations. But it seems very chaotic! People bickering, children misbehaving. There's a clear depiction of family dysfunction. Editor: It's fascinating to consider the narratives presented. In these snapshots, Jan and Griet seem trapped within societal expectations, mirroring the struggles of many during that era. Note the images that show physical violence – particularly directed towards women and children. These are visual emblems reflecting a patriarchal system. Curator: It's also interesting to note how many of these scenarios would have carried moral or religious significance at the time. Children fighting signifies a lack of proper upbringing, a wife hitting her husband disrupts the established order of domestic relations, each picture becomes an encoded sign. Editor: The work certainly raises complex questions about how morality, domesticity and social control intertwine within family dynamics, and how prints like this acted as moral guides that reinforce particular power dynamics within familial and social structures. We cannot ignore the normalizing aspect that artworks like these, with their popularity at the time, could contribute to harmful societal patterns. Curator: These details help unravel the layers of meaning within the seemingly simple depictions. This work serves not just as historical documentation, but as a psychological record of societal tensions playing out in everyday life. Editor: Precisely. "Kinderen, 't geene gy hier ziet, / Is het leven van Jan en Griet," therefore operates as a mirror reflecting social realities of the era – compelling us to understand the foundations of our own systems of thought today.