Bonden, Katten og Hunden 1760

Editor: Here we have "The Farmer, the Cat, and the Dog" by Hans Quist, created around 1760. It’s an etching and engraving. I'm struck by how it shows this intimate, everyday scene with a dog and cat vying for the farmer’s attention inside this rustic interior. What’s your perspective on this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this image as a record of material culture and the social dynamics surrounding it. The etching itself is a product of a specific mode of production. The artist, Quist, has materially reproduced and distributed this rural domesticity. Note the ingredients prepared for meal: these tell us what the agrarian lifestyle afforded some classes and cultures. What do you make of the servant bringing what appears to be ale? Editor: That’s an interesting observation. I was just focusing on the farmer and his animals. So you are saying, instead of viewing it as genre art, we consider this as evidence of labor practice and material distribution, right? Curator: Precisely. Consider the textures the artist achieves via etching and engraving: wood, textiles, animal fur, rendering it and allowing us to appreciate its manufacture. Each choice reflects the artist’s labor but also what Quist thought his audience would appreciate; consider too the cost of the print; who was its consumer? What societal norms about farmers, their lifestyle and labor is perpetuated? Editor: The level of detail in representing textures really is incredible when we begin looking with the eye to process and audience. It does re-frame the familiar and comfortable mood of this depiction. Curator: And thinking about distribution of images… Editor: Exactly, the circulation and consumption of art itself! I am thinking a bit differently about etchings now; their ability to multiply the message for distribution makes it an intriguing form when analyzed through a materialist lens. Thanks so much for making the labor and materials apparent in art for me!