Efteråret 1675 - 1775

Editor: Here we have "Efteråret," or "Autumn," a gouache painting from somewhere between 1675 and 1775, currently housed at the SMK. The delicate detail achieved with gouache is striking. How might we interpret this allegorical piece, especially considering the artist's process? Curator: Well, let’s think about what gouache signifies here. It's not oil, not fresco. Gouache lends itself to intricate work but was often associated with preparatory sketches or, indeed, more "decorative" arts. Could the choice of gouache, and the precise application we see here, be a conscious commentary on the division between the "high" art of oil painting and more applied, craft-based practices? Editor: That's interesting. So, you're saying the medium itself challenges the artistic hierarchy of the time? Curator: Precisely. Consider also the imagery: grapes, abundance, fertility. These elements are literally cultivated. What can that tell us about the relationship to nature and labour implied in the artistic production here? Think of the time involved in creating this image; a time marked by massive inequality in resources. Who did this work, for what end? Editor: It makes me think about the resources that were available to the artist, who their patron was, and if there was any collaboration with artisans for materials… almost as a comment on consumption of goods in the society. Curator: Exactly! And the ‘feminine’ allegory further muddles lines about production. It reframes discussions around nature as raw resource for aristocratic consumption by presenting the idea as an aesthetic of skill. Editor: I’ve certainly started to appreciate gouache and Rococo far more than I did previously. Curator: Indeed! Analyzing the materiality alongside the social and economic conditions reveals so much about the values embedded within it.