Gezicht op Hoei before 1890

Editor: Here we have “Gezicht op Hoei,” a print from before 1890 by Victor Gaillard. It's a photographic landscape of a cityscape… and to me, it looks like it could be a photo in a book. What do you see in this piece, looking at it from your perspective? Curator: Well, looking at the materiality of this photograph reproduced as a print within a bound volume, I'm struck by its likely function. It was created, not as a singular, valuable art object, but probably as an element within a mass-produced book or journal, serving a purpose tied to dissemination of information or a viewpoint, like a historical record. It asks us to reconsider the labour involved. Editor: The labor involved, yes... because someone had to make the print! And also write the book. Curator: Precisely! The artist and photographer becomes only one small part of the process. Who created the chemicals used to develop the image? Who fabricated the printing press that reproduced it? These considerations challenge traditional notions of authorship. It begs us to expand the boundary of “artwork” to encompass an entire network of production and labor, doesn't it? Editor: So it makes you wonder about who the book was made for and how the image adds to its value. Curator: Exactly. Who had access to this image, and what impact did it have within the context of late 19th-century Belgian society? These kinds of questions are where true insight can be found, challenging the individualist paradigm within art history. Editor: That's so fascinating, thinking about it as less of an isolated artwork and more as part of this bigger machine of labor and manufacturing. Curator: Absolutely. We begin to consider the broader systems of production, consumption, and value creation embedded within even a seemingly straightforward landscape print. It reshapes our understanding.