Moonrise 1861

Curator: This is "Moonrise" by Charles François Daubigny, currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's strangely serene, isn’t it? The etching feels like captured twilight, all muted tones and soft gradations. Curator: Absolutely. Daubigny was a master of capturing the atmosphere. He often worked en plein air, and I wonder what materials he used to capture this. Editor: Well, given it's an etching, we know he was working with metal, acid, and ink. But consider the labor involved. Curator: It's more than labor, though. It feels like a quiet moment stolen from time, a glimpse of rural peace. Editor: Rural peace dependent on rural labor. The cows, the land, it’s all interwoven with systems of production. Curator: Maybe, but I still feel the hush of the evening. It makes me think about the moon… Editor: I suppose it's good to remember that even beauty has a cost, right? Curator: I suppose.