Mother and Child

After studying in Düsseldorf and Paris, Julius Gari Melchers settled in Holland, where he was inspired by contemporary Dutch painters of the Hague School. He specialized in naturalistic depictions of peasant life, including this compassionate rendering of a Dutch woman and her child. Melchers portrayed the pair with vivid intensity, contrasting the mother’s direct gaze with the charming appeal of the baby’s chubby face. The rapid brushwork used to describe the clothing and the swaddling blanket contributes to the freshness of his depiction. In 1906 Mother and Child was exhibited at both the Paris Salon and the Art Institute.