Allegory on the Death of George Washington 1800

Editor: This drawing, "Allegory on the Death of George Washington" from 1800 by Jacques Kuyper, seems to be charcoal, or maybe chalk? There's something very serene about it, even with the weighty subject matter. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Looking at it from a materialist perspective, I’m struck by the choice of charcoal. It was, at the time, considered a preliminary medium, often for sketches or studies. Kuyper's decision to render such a significant historical moment, Washington's death, in this 'humble' material, begs the question: what statement is he making about the accessibility or mass production of grief and memory? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered charcoal as "humble" before. So, you're saying the material itself is communicating something? Curator: Precisely. And look at the context. This is early American nation-building, right? There's a real need to create visual narratives. The *print* medium, specifically, facilitates dissemination to a wide audience, constructing a collective memory of Washington. What happens when that memory is rendered in a material less permanent, more easily reproduced? Does that democratize mourning or cheapen it? Editor: I guess it makes it feel more accessible, like this monumental figure can be mourned by everyday people and not just the elite. But I’m still not entirely sure how to reconcile it with this feeling of grand allegory. Curator: Think about the labor involved. Charcoal is readily available; it is also associated with craft and not academic studies. By using that type of material instead of oil paint for instance, the artmaker democratizes art production through an affordable artistic medium and process. That brings more to it than just ‘grand allegory’, what do you think? Editor: I see your point. It adds a layer of complexity. I'd previously seen it simply as neoclassical mourning. Now I also see a challenge to the traditional hierarchies of art making, questioning accessibility and the creation of a national icon through readily available means. Thanks, that gives me a lot to think about. Curator: And perhaps consider the eventual fate of prints like these - disseminated, consumed, sometimes discarded. It is itself part of the story of material culture and historical memory.