The Music Lesson

Curatorial Overview

“Jacob Ochtervelt animated this intimate scene with delicate light, which illuminates the young woman and leaves the young man partly in shadow. The artist positioned the figures in angled poses suggesting a playful interaction. The girl holds a violin, an instrument then more often played by men, and points authoritatively to the music score, another reversal of typical gender roles for the period. By upending these conventions, Ochtervelt quietly commented on the rituals of romance in the 17th century.”