"U(lykkelige H(ændelser)" Nr. 9 1787

Editor: This is "U(lykkelige H(ændelser)" Nr. 9, made in 1787 by Georg Christian Schule, using etching and ink on paper. The image looks like it's out of a book, almost like an illustration. What story do you think it tells? Curator: Well, let's consider the materiality of printmaking in the late 18th century. Etchings like this were relatively accessible, meaning they were a way to disseminate ideas to a wider audience than, say, a unique painting for the aristocracy. Knowing this, and considering it’s called “Unhappy Events,” could this be Schule’s commentary on the social climate and power structures of his time? What are these figures doing with what looks like agricultural tools? Editor: They do seem to be acting out some sort of performance. One is holding what looks like a flail, another seems to be stumbling as if burdened. Are you thinking these are laborers acting out a scene of their own oppression, then? Curator: It is possible. And Schule's choice of etching, a medium capable of mass production, reinforces that reading. It also undermines traditional high art, which would be something painted with fine pigment on canvas and unique to one owner. How does the style of the lines, almost frantic in places, add to the social commentary of the piece? Editor: Now that you point it out, the chaotic lines really amplify the sense of disarray and anxiety that the "Unhappy Events" might suggest, as opposed to carefully etched artwork. It does make you think of art as more of a process of creating commentary versus fine, high-class output. Curator: Exactly. The deliberate, perhaps even crude, execution becomes integral to its message. Editor: I never really thought about how the materials themselves were used to make the art express these types of sentiments! It provides another view of artwork, seeing art-making as cultural criticism rather than as an item to possess. Thanks.