Adoration of the Virgin 1500 - 1600

Curator: Let's consider this piece, "Adoration of the Virgin," dating from sometime between 1500 and 1600. It's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An ink drawing or print, apparently. Editor: It feels... crowded. There's a real sense of reverence, maybe even awe, emanating from the figures surrounding the Virgin. What do you make of it? Curator: What interests me most is the act of its making. Think about the Renaissance workshop: the grinding of pigments, the sourcing of paper, the labor involved in creating multiple impressions of this image. Is it drawing, print, or both? Where does "high art" end and "craft" begin in its creation? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't really considered the "making of" as separate from the finished product. Curator: Exactly. This was likely not created in isolation but within a specific economic system that influenced its style and distribution. Who was it made for and how was this work of adoration disseminated amongst them? And consider the accessibility – a print would be cheaper, more easily available, spreading the message far and wide. What impact do you think the *reproducibility* had at the time? Editor: So, by focusing on the materials and production, you can unpack a whole network of social and economic relationships connected to the image! Curator: Precisely. It challenges that singular view of artistic genius by revealing how art relies on labor and broader economic forces. Editor: That's fascinating; I never thought about the role of printing in distributing ideology during the Renaissance. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Materiality and accessibility intertwine to shape cultural consumption. Food for thought!