Bordeaux, View From the Coast of Cenon c. 19th century

Editor: This is Maxime Lalanne's "Bordeaux, View From the Coast of Cenon." It's an etching, and the detail is incredible. I'm really struck by how the labor-intensive process contrasts with the industrial scene in the distance. What stands out to you? Curator: Consider the social context; the rapid industrial expansion depended on a new kind of labor. How does Lalanne’s etching process—a craft itself—comment on this shifting landscape of production? Was he critiquing or celebrating the changing means of production? Editor: That's a great point; the hand-crafted etching is itself a product of labor in contrast to the factories it depicts. I'll have to keep that in mind as I continue learning about art. Curator: Indeed, let's consider how the art object and the scene it depicts are inextricably linked through labor.