Le monde renversé / De verkeerde wereld 1833 - 1856

Curator: Editor: Here we have "Le monde renversé/De verkeerde wereld," a lithograph print made between 1833 and 1856 by Glenisson & Van Genechten. The different panels create this topsy-turvy feeling, almost like a pre-cursor to a modern comic strip. How do you approach this piece? Curator: As a lithograph, this work is all about reproduction, right? It's meant to be easily shared, a sort of commentary available to a wider public. I’m curious about its use of the "world turned upside down" motif in the context of the Industrial Revolution. The print shows an idealized, yet humorously off-kilter world. Do you think this serves to critique the disruptions in labor and social order occurring at the time? What class of worker might this artwork have appealed to and how might they have received it? Editor: That's interesting, I didn't consider the industrial aspect of its production! So, you're saying the cheap production method enabled greater consumption by working class people, which would further drive this comic's satirical messages home? Curator: Precisely. Imagine the average laborer seeing themselves reflected in these absurd inversions – perhaps recognizing their own destabilized social positions within this rapidly changing landscape. Also, the coloring. It seems deliberately simple, almost rudimentary. What implications might this choice have, considering who would have commissioned, purchased, and interacted with this piece of printed material? Editor: It emphasizes the material and its creation being of the people. So, instead of this being some precious, delicate watercolor meant for the wealthy elite, we see commentary via relatively cheap printmaking accessible to, and about, everyday workers. Curator: Indeed. Looking at the medium and the message hand-in-hand gives a fresh perspective. I appreciate the way it blurs the line between social commentary and popular entertainment. Editor: Exactly! I hadn't really considered it in that social light, the piece’s impact changes completely once you remember where it came from, and who it spoke to.