Gebirgslandschaft, links ein Felsenschloß, rechts Blick in eine Ebene mit einer Stadt 

Editor: Here we have Friedrich Wilhelm Hirt's landscape drawing featuring a castle perched atop some imposing rocks. The medium is graphite on paper. There is a lot of very light detail; it seems so delicate, somehow vulnerable. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, let's consider the context: graphite wasn't just "discovered"; its usage developed over time. And how artists chose to deploy it speaks volumes. This delicate application, isn't just about aesthetics, it is connected with Hirt's status and workshop. Is it for personal study, or preparing a larger project to be sold, thus demonstrating his artistry as a means of production and consumption? Editor: That's fascinating! It is really impressive how much information you can gather just by thinking about what was used to make this drawing. How the graphite became popular to the upper-class art circles? Curator: Precisely. The pencil line allows for this type of freedom. But consider this: a finished painting, typically rendered in oil paints by many artists with distinct tasks, speaks to a division of artistic labor. While a drawing, completed only by the hand of a master… How can that contribute to the value we assign it? Editor: That puts this drawing into a whole new perspective! It's not just a preliminary sketch. It tells a story about who made it and why! I will look at landscapes very differently now. Curator: Agreed, seeing beyond just "what" is depicted but "how" and "why" informs a greater picture.