Gezicht op klooster in Parijs 1630 - 1661

This delicate etching of a monastery in Paris was made by Claude Goyrand in the mid-17th century. As a print, this work raises fundamental questions about artistic production. It is not a unique artwork, made by hand, but one of many identical images, made using an etching plate. The labor has shifted from the artist’s hand to the printing press. Consider the graphic language of the image. Goyrand creates a sense of depth and texture through the careful arrangement of tiny etched lines. This economy of means is characteristic of printmaking; the challenge lies in achieving maximum visual impact with minimal effort. The resulting image could then be disseminated widely, an early example of the mass media that would come to define modern life. So while this may seem like a simple depiction of a building, it also speaks volumes about the changing nature of art, labor, and consumption in the early modern period.