Drie vrouwen c. 1670 - 1706

Editor: This engraving from around 1700, called "Three Women," caught my eye. I'm struck by how the artist depicted these women, their postures and clothing, especially considering it’s a print. How do you see this work through a materialist lens? Curator: A materialist approach compels us to examine the conditions of its production and consumption. This isn't some grand history painting but a print, designed for wider distribution and, presumably, a middle-class audience. What can the material itself—the ink, paper, and the engraving process—tell us about the artist's intended audience? Editor: So, you are suggesting that its function as a printed image—multiple and relatively cheap to reproduce—was meant for common people and common themes. What does that tell us about these three women? Curator: Exactly! The very *choice* of printmaking signals a democratic impulse. Are these idealized beauties from mythology? No, they appear as working women, perhaps rendered with a touch of satire. Look closely: are they fashionable elites, or everyday figures? Their gestures suggest perhaps, movement or common labour. Their materiality makes it approachable, part of everyday consumption. This affects our experience significantly. Editor: It is really striking, and I never considered the "work" the engraving requires and makes accessible to the middle class, instead of inaccessible oil paintings. It sounds like, for a materialist, the materials and printing create the meaning. Curator: The production *and* consumption shape the meaning, not dictate it! I mean, look closer at the detail and line, a technique. I wouldn't say the artist is completely absolved of choices that could make these three "high art". A purely technical work or commission and its circulation contribute to, complicate and contradict our understanding of their cultural status. Editor: That's fascinating, thinking about how production changes the entire work, especially for its cultural status! Thanks so much! Curator: My pleasure! Remember, analyzing the 'stuff' of art is just one pathway. Hopefully it provides new perspective of everyday practices of the 17th century.