Two Women with Children
Original title: Two Women with Children
kurzbeschreibung
Where many genre scenes of the period dress up domestic life as something ideal, this 1766 print keeps to a plain room with several figures in it. Jean Claude Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non chose aquatint in brown ink for the sheet, and the result is an intimate scene that manages without any flattery.
Description
Up front a woman holds a child on her lap, while beside her a second woman deals with two children dressed differently from one another, each going about their own business. A further woman stands behind them and watches, and at a workbench figures are busy. Light comes through a barred window into the room and onto those present. Pictures on the walls hint at cultural or religious ties.
Context
The Abbé de Saint-Non was a French clergyman and artist who made his name with aquatint prints. This sheet dates from 1766, when the technique was taking hold in France. He often turned to genre scenes that catch hold of everyday life.
Impact
The brown tones of the aquatint lend the room a warm, familiar mood. The clear layout pushes the encounters between the figures to the fore and lets a sense of quiet and ordinariness come through.
Technique
Aquatint is an intaglio process in which resin powder and acid produce finely graded tones. The brown ink on paper (24.5 x 17.4 cm) underlines the soft contrasts and the painterly feel of the subject.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)