The Covenant, from Illustrations of the Bible 1832

Editor: So, here we have John Martin’s 1832 print, "The Covenant, from Illustrations of the Bible." It's quite striking; the drama in the landscape is intensified by the print medium itself. What do you make of it? Curator: I find myself drawn to the technical skill involved in creating such a detailed image through printmaking. Think of the labor required, the artisan's knowledge of acids and metal. And then, consider its availability: prints like this made biblical scenes accessible to a broader audience, almost mass produced for consumption and edification. How does this democratisation affect our understanding of Romanticism? Editor: That's a really interesting angle – this wasn't something reserved just for wealthy patrons! Curator: Precisely! This romantic ideal became, in some sense, available for mass consumption. Look at the choice of subject. It speaks to the social obsession with the exotic sublime, manufactured, accessible and even moralistic. How does it impact the art object once is easily reproducible? What shifts with that dissemination? Editor: It's thought provoking to consider that it was made to be reproduced, shifting the focus away from the artist’s hand. This really gives me a different perspective. I was caught up on the style itself, overlooking how widely distributed and viewed it became. Curator: Exactly. Think of the engravers, the publishers; all participants in this machinery that elevates the artistic ideal into the consumer culture. The print blurs boundaries of 'art' versus a product. A devotional object, and evidence of a kind of industrialized workshop practices working in concert. Does this diminish its artistic value, or recontextualize its purpose? Editor: I’d say it certainly expands our understanding of artistic practice, moving past simply authorial genius. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, and by recognizing this artwork as product and process, hopefully it will illuminate some cultural values related to Romanticism, reproduction and class.