"Maleren" 1778 - 1780

Georg Christian Schule created this print, “Maleren,” using etching and hand-colouring. Look closely, and you can see how the etched lines define the image, with layers of watercolor adding depth. The artist's choice of printmaking, a process capable of mass production, is crucial here. Schule isn't depicting a master at his easel but a somewhat disheveled, perhaps struggling, painter. His clothes are torn, and his surroundings suggest a chaotic, impoverished existence. This is not the romantic ideal of the artist. The hand-colouring, however, adds an interesting layer. It's a labor-intensive process that elevates the print beyond mere reproduction. It's a commentary on the artist's own position: caught between the desire for artistic expression and the realities of earning a living through craft. This print challenges our notions of artistic genius, reminding us that art is also work, subject to the same economic pressures as any other form of labor.