Good neighbours 1885

Editor: Right now we’re looking at “Good Neighbours”, painted by John William Waterhouse in 1885, and it's so lovely. Painted with oils, the piece seems to capture a very casual and tender moment, almost like a snapshot in time. The whole scene is very serene, but what really grabs you when you look at this artwork? Curator: Serene, yes, but also perhaps a little stagey. The scene reminds me of peering into a dollhouse; observe how the brick wall almost neatly bisects the canvas. The lounging mother, knitting, contrasts starkly with the two gossiping women atop the wall – two distinct worlds separated yet connected by idle chatter and shared space. Editor: You make a good point about that stagey feel. What about the colors? The soft greens and muted browns feel very characteristic of its period, right? Curator: Absolutely! Think of the Pre-Raphaelites, for example, their fondness for representing domestic scenes in ways that capture intimate moments within an increasingly industrial world. It's a quiet form of rebellion, celebrating simple pleasures and close-knit communities – though, in this instance, rendered through the detached lens of Realism. What do you make of the woman's posture? The almost defiant raising of the feet up on the chair? Editor: That’s so interesting – it suggests a kind of carefree independence, almost rebellious considering it's Victorian times. A deliberate contrast with how women were typically portrayed. So, it seems the picture, under all that simplicity, is complex and open to interpretation, doesn’t it? Curator: Indeed! Artworks often invite conversation across time. It makes me wonder about their story beyond the frame, like catching snippets of life from another's backyard... What kind of neighborhood was this? What exactly is it that they’re chatting about? Editor: That's a really thought-provoking takeaway; I never considered it from that perspective. It definitely gives me a lot to think about!