Portret van de zangeres Jeanne Bloch 1893

Editor: So, this is Henri-Gabriel Ibels' "Portrait of the Singer Jeanne Bloch," created in 1893. It's an ink drawing held here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s really striking, almost severe, in its simplicity. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: For me, this image speaks volumes about the material conditions of artistic production at the time. The choice of ink, for example, wasn't just about aesthetic preference, but access and cost. How readily available would this have been? Ink drawings allowed for relatively quick reproduction – were these sketches made for a larger printed edition? The artist had to be quite clever about making efficient use of his labour in terms of the final production. Editor: That's an interesting angle. I hadn't really thought about the economic side. Did the status of singers like Jeanne Bloch have an effect? Curator: Absolutely. Representing a singer – likely working-class, reliant on her voice for income – raises questions about artistic labor versus performing labor. Was Ibels interested in Jeanne's place within a burgeoning entertainment industry, a sort of commentary on performance as work, and his role as a 'producer' of the image itself? Consider the implied social spaces where Bloch performed and the context of their audiences. This simple drawing prompts larger questions on the means and modes of production of artistic reputation. Editor: That's fascinating. It reframes the entire artwork. I can see how exploring those social and material networks is key. Curator: It helps us move past merely admiring the aesthetic surface, doesn’t it, towards a more critical understanding. Looking closely at the ink, its density, and how it was applied gives us some material hints. Editor: Thanks for opening up that lens, and reminding me of what we can learn from materiality! Curator: Exactly. Thinking about art production, distribution and audience within the right economic conditions gets to what matters most to me when studying an artwork.