Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen! 1895 - 1905

Editor: This whimsical watercolor, "Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen!" created around 1900 by Erwin Schütz, depicts a scolding scene. The visual texture created with watercolor makes me wonder about the choices surrounding artistic creation. What stands out to you in terms of its materiality and artistic handling? Curator: Looking at Schütz's drawing, I am interested in how the materiality reflects social dynamics. The use of accessible materials like watercolor and colored pencil, rather than oils for instance, positions this piece within a certain market—perhaps for popular consumption? What was the process like in creating such images for sale? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought of it that way! The level of detail seems time-consuming for mass production. Curator: Exactly. The detail contradicts any mass-produced understanding, right? Consider how color would’ve been sourced and its socio-economic ramifications during its production: the labor involved in creating specific pigment for coloring in mass is an interesting consideration. Where does the symbolic function of those pigments reside within that process? Editor: So, even the colors themselves carry the weight of production? Is that something that distinguishes pieces of fine art that were created through processes involving unique supplies or materials, that only they could produce? Curator: That is right. I invite you to ask yourself - how does understanding its material reality change your interpretation of this piece? Editor: Now, looking at it, I see the economic considerations embedded within its artistic choices, from material sourcing to final form! Thanks for expanding my understanding. Curator: The layers of artistic expression, production and economic value really make the artwork an interesting object of material consideration, right?