Hamlet 

Editor: This drawing, titled "Hamlet," is attributed to John Austen. It looks like a collection of pen and ink drawings on paper, or perhaps etchings? I'm struck by how delicate and graphic it is at the same time. What's your take? Curator: It’s intriguing how Austen, associated with book illustration and printmaking, chose etching or a similar technique. The very process speaks volumes. The labour invested in each line, etched or drawn, replicates the intensity of emotional labor found in Shakespeare. Consider the economic implications too – prints made art accessible to a wider audience, disrupting notions of unique, precious artworks for the elite. Editor: So, you're focusing on the materials and how it makes it accesible? How does that tie into the image itself? Curator: Precisely! Austen isn't just depicting "Hamlet"; he’s employing methods tied to distribution and democratization of culture. These choices weren't arbitrary; they were carefully made by Austen to fit in with the burgeoning aesthetic movement. Do you notice the repeated line-work, almost obsessive in the renderings of hair and drapery? Editor: Now that you mention it, I do. I can see how labor intensive it looks! Curator: Exactly, the work is less about the subject, Hamlet, and more about highlighting its manufacture as a reproducible, widely available artwork. Austen underscores the industrial capacity in illustration, and draws the viewer's attention to the work involved. This elevates craft while simultaneously deconstructing classical artistic ideals. Editor: That’s a totally different way to look at it. I was focusing on what the different characters mean in relation to the play. Curator: Thinking about the act of production shifts our understanding, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. Now, I see the artist highlighting both the means and accessibility of art as powerful cultural statements. Thank you.