Mother’s Affection

Georgios Iakovidis studied first at the School of Arts in Athens and later at the Munich Academy. He remained in Munich until 1900, when he returned to Greece to become the first director of the newly established National Gallery; he also worked as a professor of painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts. A seminal figure in the history of academic 19th-century Greek art, he belongs to the so-called School of Munich, that is, the Greek artists who studied in the Bavarian capital in the 19th century.

Iakovidis is known as ‘the painter of childhood’, as he most enjoyed painting scenes of peaceful family life and tender moments in which children feature prominently. Genre and outdoor scenes were also common in his work; when he returned to Greece at the turn of the century, he took up still life and portraiture.

The painting Mother’s Affection is one of the many versions the artist painted of this scene around 1889. The seated young mother holds her baby tenderly in her arms at feeding time, gazing at her child with a doting smile. Iakovidis chose warm hues, diffusing the light on the calm face of the mother and the head of the child, capturing the delicate and sensitive nature of an intimate moment, and the unconditional love a mother has for her child. The neutrality and simplicity of the background and setting – the only objects are a table, chair and bowl and spoon – allow us to focus all our attention on the subject, while also emphasising the natural relationship between a mother and baby. The subtle ochres and yellows, particularly on the baby’s blanket and the mother’s scarf and apron, unify the painting and highlight their bond.