Karper en houting 1581 - 1656

Curator: Editor: So, we’re looking at "Carp and Houting" a drawing done in ink and watercolor, attributed to Nicolaes de Bruyn sometime between 1581 and 1656. The rendering is so lifelike, I find it quite captivating. What details stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, I am drawn to the meticulous process used to render the scales, and I am interested in the labor that this represents. Consider the repetitive action required to create this detail. Doesn't that prompt a question about its function beyond mere depiction? Editor: You mean, it makes you consider what purpose all of the work served? Curator: Precisely. Why invest so much labour in depicting fish? Is it purely for scientific illustration, or does it speak to a broader relationship with resources and perhaps the beginnings of capitalist notions of categorizing the natural world for exploitation and trade? Also, note the almost decorative, calligraphic lettering used for labelling - how does the hand of the artist work through text and image simultaneously to classify nature? Editor: So the labor of creating it points towards larger economic and societal systems emerging at the time? How interesting that what appears to be a simple rendering of fish can actually reveal so much about historical forces at play! Curator: Indeed! What starts as what looks like a mere descriptive image raises questions about emerging systems of material trade and a growing obsession with resource management of nature. Editor: It’s surprising how much more there is to appreciate when we examine the context in which artwork is made! Curator: Yes, it also raises questions for us today - what can art tell us about the labor involved in production and consumption?