Sub Tegmine... 1859

Editor: Here we have "Sub Tegmine..." by Sir Francis Seymour Haden, etched in 1859. It’s currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a landscape, and I'm immediately struck by the almost dreamlike quality of the scene; what do you see in this piece, particularly considering the time it was made? Curator: I’m drawn to the artist’s choices regarding technique. Consider the labor involved in etching; the precise, almost scientific, application of acid to the metal plate. Note, too, how that laborious process translates to an image of leisure. Figures recline "sub tegmine," or "under shelter," likely in Greenwich Park. How do the figures and the artist himself engage with the space around them? Editor: So, are you saying there's a contrast between the hard work of creating the image and the relaxed scene it depicts? Curator: Precisely! The industrial revolution was well underway in 1859, transforming labor practices. Is this image then a yearning for an escape from that, a reflection on lost agrarian traditions? Also, consider the very material – etching – being more reproducible than painting or drawing, which fits the period of increased mass production, influencing art-making practices. Where is the line between craft and art in this image, and how might it have been perceived at the time? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about the etching process itself as a commentary. Curator: Think about who had access to the materials and the training to produce such an image. Who would consume it? The artistic process reveals subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, socioeconomic dynamics. Editor: This definitely makes me see it in a completely new way! It’s not just a pretty picture of nature; it's also a statement, of sorts, about the relationship between work, leisure, and the changing world. Curator: Exactly! Now, what other elements in the composition contribute to this relationship you have uncovered?