Perseus and Andromeda, from 'Game of Mythology' (Jeu de la Mythologie) 1644

Editor: Here we have Stefano della Bella's "Perseus and Andromeda," an etching and engraving from 1644, part of a series called 'Game of Mythology.' The contrast is stark. It feels almost frantic, with all the cross-hatching. What are your initial thoughts on this print? Curator: What interests me is how this print, intended as part of a game, implicates its viewers in the economy of mythological imagery. We're consuming and re-circulating this scene, like so many others. Consider the labor involved in both the creation and the reception of such an image. Editor: So you're focusing on how it was made and consumed? The practical side of art, almost? Curator: Exactly. Look at the sheer volume of similar prints circulating at the time. Each impression required skilled labor, materials like paper and ink, and a market for distribution. Who had access to these games? What kind of social circles did they reinforce? Editor: That's interesting. I was mainly looking at the story itself, the drama of Perseus saving Andromeda, but you're right, it's also a product. Do you think the fact that it was meant for a game diminishes its artistic value somehow? Curator: Not at all. It challenges the hierarchy of "high" art. A game piece implicates the player. It blurs the lines between passive viewing and active participation in perpetuating stories, in a system of meaning. How might the availability of prints like this reshape public understanding of myth? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way, about how everyday access changes things. I guess I'll start paying more attention to not just what art shows, but also how it's produced and used. Curator: Precisely! It's about revealing the underlying structures that give art its power, whether through mythology or material means.