Dutch school; 18th century.

Dutch School; XVIII century.
"Costumbrista scene".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
It has a frame of the nineteenth century.
Measurements: 25 x 34 cm; 36 x 45 cm (frame).
Scene of interior in which you can see two women accompanied by a child, doing housework. The costumbrismo in the painting of the Dutch School of the XVIII century constitutes a crucial manifestation of the cultural, social and moral identity of the Netherlands in an epoch marked by the bourgeois consolidation, the rise of the commerce and a deep valuation of the daily life. Although the 17th century is often considered the golden period of Dutch art, the 18th century inherited and reformulated many of its visual codes, including an interest in genre scenes, which continued to be developed with sensitivity and detail.
Unlike the great religious or mythological compositions that dominated other European pictorial traditions, Dutch painting gave priority to domestic, rural and urban subjects, presenting the life of the common citizen with acute observation. This approach continued into the 18th century, with a technical refinement that favored orderly compositions, a clear palette and an intimate atmosphere. Tavern scenes, markets, household chores, family gatherings or animated landscapes with peasant figures not only offered a reflection of local customs, but also a tool for moral education or social criticism, clothed in naturalism.
The costumbrismo of the 18th century differs from the preceding baroque by a certain attenuation of dramatism and a more evident search for harmony and visual balance. In many cases, these works were not only appreciated for their recognizable subject matter and symbolism, but also for their ability to exalt the prosperity, cleanliness, order and virtue of the Dutch bourgeois environment. Costumbrista painting, in this context, functioned as a cultural mirror, exalting civic values, reinforcing social hierarchies and affirming a national identity based on simplicity, work and domesticity.