Brunnen am Fischmarkt 1893

Editor: Here we have Fritz Stoltenberg’s "Brunnen am Fischmarkt" from 1893, rendered with pen and ink. The scene feels very precise and stately; the intricate fountain seems to be the central focus for people of the town. What do you notice about this piece? Curator: Immediately, I see the focus on labor and material context. Stoltenberg meticulously details the fountain’s construction. We see not just its aesthetic presence but, implicitly, the collective effort involved in extracting the materials, designing its elaborate structure, and constructing this central element of public life. Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t considered it from the perspective of labor. Curator: Precisely. It also leads us to contemplate the consumption inherent in such displays of civic pride. The materials themselves speak of economic factors; stone, metalwork, water, even the ink on paper all required distribution networks of resources, alluding to social contexts, and class structures inherent within artistic practice. Where does labor and distribution stand in contemporary drawing practice, perhaps in relation to the artist's hand? Editor: Thinking about how the work embodies different forms of labor does change how I see it. Before, it was just a pretty drawing, but now, I’m also thinking about its context and about the people and materials involved in its making. Curator: Right, and considering the context encourages an understanding of the conditions from which aesthetic creations emerge. Perhaps in realizing materiality is the labor of creation, the aesthetic of Stoltenberg's work might lead us to reconsider the art within our grasp today. Editor: I learned a lot looking at art in terms of its physical components, processes, and place within society. It's more than just looking – it's about thinking critically about the art as an artifact! Curator: Absolutely, viewing this fountain landscape as an item consumed in and sustained by its particular time and place grants greater awareness.