Fotoreproductie van een schilderij door Guido Reni, voorstellend het martelaarschap van Sint-Sebastiaan c. 1865 - 1890

This is a photo reproduction of Guido Reni's painting, depicting the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, made by an anonymous artist. Though it is a reproduction, consider the labor involved in capturing an image versus creating a painting. Photography transformed the making of images, allowing them to be created at great speed and distributed at low cost, in contrast to the time and labor involved in painting. Here, we see the photograph's capacity to disseminate an image. The gelatin silver print captures the original painting and also speaks to the wider social issues of labor, politics and consumption. As photography democratized image production and consumption, it challenged traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, forever changing the way we see and understand art.