A painting I can't forget

Children of the Sea by Jozef Israels 1872

I had the good fortune to visit the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam recently, and I haven't been able to get this painting out of my head. When I first stood in front of it, I thought it looked like an idyllic day at the sea. But then I read the information about the painting, and understood what it represents.

These are the children of a fisherman, and if you look closely you will see that their clothes are tattered and their only toy is a boat, which symbolizes the difficult life at sea which is likely to be the future for the boys in the family. The eldest child, carrying the youngest, is intended to represent the boy who will carry the weight of his family on his shoulders as he grows up.

I love the way art and literature use symbolism, and I'm so glad that I read about the painting so that I could better understand it. Do you have a favourite painting? I'd love to know about it.