Across the Delaware 

Editor: This is "Across the Delaware" by Salvatore Pinto, made using etching techniques. It’s a striking cityscape and the detail really draws me in. What's your interpretation of the piece? Curator: As a materialist, I immediately focus on the labor represented. Look at the cranes, the figures carrying materials – this isn't just a depiction of a city, it’s a representation of industrial production and movement. The etching itself, a laborious and demanding process, mirrors that industry. How does the medium contribute to your reading of the scene? Editor: That's a great point! The etching lines do create a sense of busyness and activity. All those tiny strokes reflect all that human action. Does the print medium challenge our conventional thinking about paintings being the high art? Curator: Absolutely. The print, traditionally associated with mass production and accessibility, disrupts the idea of the unique art object. Pinto elevates it, using the industrial landscape to highlight the very means of production that democratized art. Do you notice anything else regarding materials being moved around in the drawing? Editor: I see that the bridge looms large, but its construction involved a huge amount of human and material resources. So the etching not only portrays a place, but also emphasizes its reliance on materials and manufacturing, challenging conventional boundaries between city, commodity and consumerism? Curator: Precisely. By emphasizing material, labor, and production, Pinto prompts us to think about the social and economic context that shapes both the city and its art. The materiality of the etching process underscores the materiality of the scene itself. Editor: That's given me a new perspective. I'll never see a cityscape the same way! Curator: It shows the artist as not only recorder, but product of their context too.