Schaking 1751 - 1816

Editor: This print, called "Schaking," from between 1751 and 1816 by Reinier Vinkeles, seems to depict a rather chaotic scene! There are these elegantly dressed men, and then what looks like a kidnapping occurring right next to them. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It's interesting to consider the material reality of an engraving like this. Think about the labour involved, the social context of printmaking as a burgeoning industry at the time. How did the production and consumption of these images impact notions of "high art"? Was this print intended for a broad audience, perhaps circulating ideas about class or social norms through a relatively accessible medium? Editor: So you’re less interested in the actual event being depicted and more interested in the means by which this image was produced and disseminated? Curator: Precisely. Look at the technical skill, the craftsmanship involved in creating these lines and textures. The engraving process itself would have demanded specific tools and knowledge and access. It's vital to ask: how does that impact how we perceive this “narrative” and what message this artwork may be trying to convey to society about moral standings and hierarchy. Editor: That's a really different way of looking at it! I was focused on what was happening within the image, but you're pushing me to think about the socioeconomic framework in which it was made. Curator: And to consider how those materials and production techniques themselves contribute to the overall meaning. It pushes us to question traditional hierarchies between the art world and say "craft." This work might then speak to shifts in social power facilitated by developing means of image production and exchange. Editor: I see, thank you for bringing such a new perspective to this image, seeing as to how the production has informed societal meaning during the Dutch Golden Age.