Saints Peter and Paul under a Canopy 

Editor: This engraving, "Saints Peter and Paul under a Canopy," by Wilhelm Pleydenwurff, showcases incredible detail using just line work. I'm immediately struck by the texture and almost obsessive detail in the drapery and canopy. What do you see in this print? Curator: The beauty of this piece lies, for me, in understanding the materials and labor involved in its production and consumption during the Northern Renaissance. Think about the physical act of carving those lines into a metal plate – the skill, time and cost to acquire that skill, and the controlled force to create an edition of prints. This isn’t just about religious iconography; it’s about access to images through printmaking as a technology and industry. Editor: So you're focusing on the mechanics of making it, as well as how access to that imagery would have changed people's relationships with religion? Curator: Exactly. And the social implications. Who was consuming these prints? Were they devotional objects for private use, or were they commissioned and displayed publicly? What does this availability mean for the religious practices of the average person? And also, consider that before prints were widely available, images were commissioned directly from artists, so that process changed with the industrialization of printing techniques. Editor: I hadn't really thought about the effect that the method of production would have on how people saw and interacted with art in that time. Curator: It shifts the perception of art and the value placed on its physical form as unique. The means of reproduction inherently changes how we relate to art as something reproducible, questioning that original value or "aura." It leads us to question not just "What is art?", but "How is art made, and who has access to it?" Editor: That's a really insightful way to consider the impact of printmaking on art and society. It gives me a new appreciation for this piece.