Venster met gordijnen 1885 - 1895

Curator: This image presents us with “Venster met gordijnen” (Window with Curtains) made between 1885 and 1895, a drawing or print by Léon Laroche. It feels… unexpectedly technical for a depiction of draped curtains. Editor: It does, almost like an instruction manual. How can we interpret a seemingly mundane domestic object like curtains from your materialist point of view? Curator: Look at the second half of the image; the cutaway diagrams suggest an emphasis on the process. Not just what these curtains look like, but how they're *made.* This elevates the craftsmanship and labor involved, something often overlooked. The materials, likely expensive textiles, denote a certain level of bourgeois consumption and taste during that era. We need to think about the means of production: who made these curtains? Where? What was the social context of textile manufacturing at the time? Editor: So, it’s about shifting our focus from the aesthetic to the socio-economic implications of this decorative element. What was it about these elements being made available at the time for people in society? Curator: Precisely. Think of the decorative arts movement; it strived to improve the design and accessibility of everyday objects. Could this print be read as a democratization of design knowledge? Was it genuinely intended to empower amateur craftspeople, or was it more about dictating fashionable consumption within the rising middle class? Consider the paper and ink – readily available industrial products themselves. It makes one consider this curtain, and its accessibility given social class at the time. Editor: That's really fascinating. I never considered curtains as having so much socio-economic weight. Thanks for bringing it up. Curator: My pleasure. I think considering the material conditions of artistic production offers a richer, more nuanced understanding of artworks, even ones depicting seemingly simple things like curtains.