Allegorische vrouwen figuren en een leeuw rondom een cartouche 1843 - 1845

Editor: Here we have Vertommen’s etching, “Allegorische vrouwen figuren en een leeuw rondom een cartouche,” dating from around 1843-1845. It feels very dreamlike and ethereal to me, especially the rendering of the figures. What do you make of the composition and the process used to create this etching? Curator: As a materialist, I see the etching process itself as central to understanding this image. Consider the labor involved: the painstaking process of coating the plate, scratching through the ground, and the repeated biting with acid. This repetitive, almost industrial, process clashes interestingly with the Romantic style, don’t you think? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but I see what you mean! Romanticism often focused on the individual and the emotional. How does that connect with the actual act of creating it? Curator: Exactly! The content evokes a sense of idealized artistic inspiration with allegorical figures of women, while the means of production involves repetitive, almost mechanical labor. This contrast calls into question the romanticized image of the artist as a solitary genius, doesn’t it? We might consider where the print was made, and for whom; could it be for distribution? Editor: So the means of making and distributing the art could speak to the artist’s view of labor and mass culture? Curator: Precisely. The material choices – the copper plate, the etching acids – and the very act of reproducing the image democratizes art. Rather than a unique painting displayed only to the elite, we have multiples that could reach a wider audience. The image can reach and maybe reflect diverse cultural context that created it. Editor: I see. It is not just an ethereal romantic depiction of female figures and a lion. Thinking about its manufacture shines a light on the social and economic systems at the time! Curator: Precisely! Next time we'll have to dig a little deeper on the historical conditions under which Vertommen created the drawing and prints.