Portret van de familie de Goyer en Adriaen van Ostade 1888 - 1891

Editor: This print, titled "Portret van de familie de Goyer en Adriaen van Ostade" by Willem Steelink, was made between 1888 and 1891. It seems to capture a Dutch Golden Age domestic scene. What do you make of this family portrait and its engagement with genre painting? Curator: I'm immediately struck by the cultural memory embedded within the image. It's not just a depiction of a family, but a re-staging of an earlier era, signaled through clothing, interior décor, and artistic style. Notice the paintings on the back wall; what might they tell us about the sitters' aspirations? Editor: It’s almost like they're trying to insert themselves into that history… a family recreating a piece of the Dutch Golden Age. Does that make it nostalgic? Curator: It certainly gestures toward nostalgia. But consider the act of recreating, re-presenting. Steelink revives a cultural memory and explores the endurance of Dutch artistic identity. Note, however, how the poses look posed. Can that element of artificiality offer a different narrative to take from the image? Editor: Good point. It almost becomes like a theater, a play being performed using an old memory. The scene is indeed meticulously constructed. What are your overall impressions? Curator: The image, with its theatricality and historical echoes, acts as a powerful signifier of cultural identity and its constant re-negotiation through images and representation. It invites us to reflect on how the past informs the present and how symbols are actively deployed in this dialogue. What a fascinating picture, don’t you think? Editor: I do! It definitely provides a fascinating view into how people use and reflect on their own history through art. Thanks!