Repairing the Nets (Fisknatet) 1935

Editor: This is "Repairing the Nets," an etching by Harald Sallberg from 1935. It’s such a detailed print – you can almost feel the texture of the nets and the rough-hewn wood of the building. What strikes me is the emphasis on the labor itself. What do you find particularly compelling about this work? Curator: I see here a real interrogation of value. Sallberg isn't just showing us a picturesque scene; he’s emphasizing the tools, the structures, and, crucially, the manual labor involved in fishing. Notice how the nets themselves are given as much visual weight as the figure repairing them. How does the artist use light and shadow to further highlight the materiality of this scene? Editor: It does seem like he's deliberately highlighting the roughness and imperfections – the opposite of idealizing the fishing trade. The light catches on the textures of everything in view. Is he making a comment about the societal role of this worker through his deliberate artistic choices, using only line work and ink? Curator: Precisely. This print shifts the focus away from the romanticized view of labor towards the concrete realities of making a living. Etching, as a printmaking technique, is itself laborious. Consider how the artist has made his mark visible in every line and shadow, connecting the worker to his material, while subtly nodding to the material demands of the artistic labor. The choice of etching is important here: why choose a process that mirrors the effort it depicts? Editor: So, by meticulously creating this image of manual labor, Sallberg is also drawing parallels to his own artistic practice? Curator: Yes, and more broadly asking us to consider the value we place on both artistic and manual production. This invites reflection on labor as a foundational aspect of human experience. What do you make of the composition – how does the arrangement of these elements contribute to this discussion? Editor: It makes me consider the structures and tools involved in daily life. The repetition of line and net material invites my focus on the work of each component to the larger fishing system. Curator: Exactly. Seeing this etching in person gives a fresh perspective. Sallberg demands our attention to both the subject of the work and the work to create the art itself.