Christmas Card from Helen and Dick Bishop 1947

Editor: So this is a Christmas card from Helen and Dick Bishop, created by Richard Bishop in 1947, and it looks like a print, maybe an etching. The composition is really striking; it's so simple, but the texture from the printmaking gives it depth. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: I am immediately drawn to the method of its production, its materiality. The very act of etching and printing these cards speaks to the Bishops' relationship with art and its accessibility. Think about it, multiples of art circulating within a community during the height of post-war consumerism. What does it say about art's function, as gift, as commodity, as connection? Editor: That's a good point. The fact that it’s a multiple and a gift does change how we see it. It isn't just about Bishop’s individual artistic expression then? Curator: Not solely, no. Consider the labor involved in creating each print. The physicality of etching the plate, the repeated actions of inking, pressing – these are deliberate choices by Bishop. This process connects him directly to the dissemination of his art within his social circle, embedding art in the flow of everyday life. Were such hand-crafted cards common during that era? Editor: I'm not sure. I imagine mass-produced cards were becoming more common then, but that makes this even more special, right? Curator: Exactly! It's a statement, isn't it? Rejecting mass production in favor of a hand-crafted, intimate exchange. We are witnessing an interesting interplay between the artwork itself and its socioeconomic environment, with an eye on artistic craft. Editor: I hadn’t really thought of it that way before. Now I’m wondering what the Bishop's daily life looked like, how the art they made or acquired was part of their consumption patterns... Curator: Precisely. Looking at art through the lens of its production and its integration into daily life unlocks richer insights. Editor: Thanks! I’ll definitely be thinking about materiality differently from now on.