The Monkeys 1719

Editor: Here we see Claude Gillot's small etching, "The Monkeys." It has an almost theatrical quality to it. How do you interpret the scene, keeping in mind the materials and potential context? Curator: Gillot’s choice of etching, a relatively accessible printmaking method, suggests a wider audience. Consider how the *means* of production—the reproducible nature of the print—democratizes access to imagery. Are the depicted monkeys meant to mirror societal behaviors, and if so, who is this performance for, and who benefits from it? Editor: That's fascinating! So, it’s not just about the image itself but about how it was made and who could see it. Curator: Precisely! Thinking about the materiality and the social context of its creation deepens our understanding. Editor: I’ll definitely be looking at art through that lens from now on. Thanks!