Hamlet 

Editor: This is John Austen’s "Hamlet," a linocut print done in the Art Nouveau style. I am immediately drawn to the incredible detail in the linework. How does the medium influence the message, do you think? Curator: Consider linocut’s relationship to woodcut and its historical use in more utilitarian printing. Austen is deliberately choosing a material linked to reproduction and perhaps even the masses. He then elevates it through his skilled labor into something “fine art.” Editor: So, the choice of linocut challenges the distinction between craft and high art? Curator: Exactly. And the subject matter also points to questions of labor and value. Who labors to create leisure? Consider the depiction of the nude figures interacting with nature – are they at work or at play? Editor: I see your point. It’s almost as if the abundance of detail highlights the labor-intensive process of creation, while simultaneously depicting a scene of leisure and apparent ease. Curator: Furthermore, where does the image circulate, and for whom? If it’s a printed illustration, perhaps it's circulated through books, which suggests a link to both consumer culture and literacy. How accessible would the print have been at the time? Editor: That’s a really interesting question I hadn't considered. I suppose its availability would further speak to who had access to art and culture. Curator: Absolutely. The linocut becomes both the subject and the object of study: its making and distribution informs its meaning. We're dealing with materiality, production, consumption – all intertwined. Editor: Wow, I hadn’t thought about the materials used impacting the work's broader social and economic context, this makes the work even more impactful. Thank you!