Hanna Klinkosch before 1884

Curator: There's such a delicious theatricality to Hans Makart’s portrait of Hanna Klinkosch! Painted sometime before 1884, the opulent oil painting gives off a distinct… longing, I think. Editor: It’s the ruff collar and lace cuffs for me, giving those weavers all the overtime they could handle. Must have taken hours just to dress for a portrait session, not to mention the raw materials consumed to produce that textile. Curator: Absolutely, that labor and conspicuous consumption of resources are evident in the material presentation. Still, there's something about the subject's averted gaze, a world-weariness hinted at beneath the surface, that speaks volumes to me. I almost feel like I could write her life story based just on her eyes. Editor: Those 'thousand-yard stares' aren't just born, you know. Every ruffle, every pearl in that necklace is part of the industrial-capitalist complex. Klinkosch probably didn’t even get to choose what dress to wear – likely a calculation by someone keen to communicate status and access. Curator: Well, maybe… or maybe she enjoyed a sense of authorship of her appearance within a narrow bandwidth available to women in that society? The detail given to her jewelry and lace suggests she was actively complicit with constructing a visual identity, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Maybe. Still, the relentless pace of artistic creation can be wearying, and to assume women fully controlled the presentation of self back then is, historically speaking, inaccurate. But I appreciate the idea that art, regardless, opens possibilities to present subjectivity through creative media and forms of skilled labor. Curator: Indeed. And while she lived in a time of enormous class disparities, what intrigues me most is the almost melancholic whisper coming from beyond the gilt frame; what are her unfulfilled desires, or even suppressed frustrations? What price does one pay for security and station? Food for thought, eh? Editor: You’ve said it, curator, the material culture provides, whether intentionally or accidentally, a rich entry point for broader stories about the production, wealth, access, and social class dynamics within any work of art, which still resonates nowadays.