We’re deeply suspicious of the word ‘consumerism’; it’s become a stick with which to beat the modern world. Yet consumerism doesn’t have to be stupid. At its best, what the word refers to is a love of the fruits of the earth, a delight in human ingenuity and an appreciation of the vast achievements of organised labour and trade.
This picture by a Dutch artist called Van Utrecht, painted in 1644, takes us to an instructive time long ago when abundance was new and not to be taken for granted.
This picture by a Dutch artist called Van Utrecht, painted in 1644, takes us to an instructive time long ago when abundance was new and not to be taken for granted.