Twee herten springen over een boomstam 1822 - 1893

Editor: Here we have "Two Deer Jumping Over a Log," an etching by Eugène François de Block, sometime between 1822 and 1893. The sketchiness creates a sense of dynamism, and the landscape feels vast even within the small print. What stands out to you? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the reproductive nature of etching itself. Consider the materials: the copper plate, the acid, the press. These weren’t easily accessible to everyone. So, who was the intended consumer of this image, and what kind of labour was required to produce and circulate it? Editor: That’s interesting! I was focusing on the subject matter, the romantic depiction of nature... Curator: But the 'romantic depiction' is entirely mediated by the materiality! Etching allowed for the mass production of 'nature,' making it a commodity, didn’t it? Were these prints intended for scientific study, decoration, or perhaps even to promote certain ideals about nature and our relationship to it? Editor: So, you're saying the print’s accessibility influences how we read its depiction of nature? That the act of replicating and distributing nature changes its meaning? Curator: Precisely. This isn't simply about admiring deer; it’s about understanding how images of deer, manufactured and distributed, function within a specific social and economic system. The value lies not only in its aesthetic qualities but in the very means of its production and consumption. Editor: I never thought about it that way! Seeing the artwork as part of a larger system of making and distributing art provides an alternate context. Thanks! Curator: Of course! Recognizing those processes exposes a deeper layer to its impact on our understanding.