Taking Chardin's Kitchen Maids Seriously

Bibliographic Data

ID22005923
AuthorsDanielle Ezor (Southern Methodist University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume12
Issue2
Publication date2022-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueABO Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts 1640-1830 (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2157-7129 • E-ISSN: 2157-7129
PublisherUniversity of South Florida Libraries (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5038/2157-7129.12.2.1255
OpenAlexW4362712586
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited7

Historically, Jean-Siméon Chardin’s The Kitchen Maid and Return from the Market have been characterized as austere images of middle-class virtue. However, the engravings made after these paintings include verses that place the paintings within the satirical tradition. Thus, there is a misalignment between the canonical interpretation of Chardin’s kitchen maids as virtuous and the satirical understanding of these paintings. I reconcile these two contradictory interpretations by offering a feminist reinterpretation of Chardin’s The Kitchen Maid and Return from the Market , juxtaposing the prints and their satirical verses and considering the female viewer. In my analysis, I focus on small, disquieting details that seem to be out of place in Chardin’s œuvre, the effect of stopped time within these paintings, and the women’s expressions. From these details, I argue that Chardin’s women are neither the one-dimensional figures of domestic bliss nor the comedic stereotype, but rather women with agency, offering a feminist reinterpretation of these canonical works

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · BLISS · Literature · Marriage market · Painting · Reinterpretation · Theology · Virtue · Historical and Literary Studies · Historical Art and Culture Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Philosophy

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