Heilige Lucius als kluizenaar 1600

Curator: Let’s consider "Heilige Lucius als kluizenaar," or "St. Lucius as a Hermit," an engraving by Johann Sadeler I, circa 1600. It has this austere quality due to the black and white printing. What jumps out to you? Editor: I’m struck by how the image depicts the labor of Saint Lucius. He's making something out of straw, and then seemingly giving it away. What can you tell me about that process and materiality here? Curator: Excellent observation! Notice the lines, their precision—characteristic of engraving. Sadeler highlights the act of labor: Lucius weaving, another man harvesting. What is interesting is how engraving itself, with its own intensive labor process, mirrors Lucius's craft. It’s about translating raw materials into something meaningful and distributing it within a community. Editor: So, the material process of the artwork, the engraving itself, emphasizes the value of Lucius’s labor. Do you think there’s a relationship between this depiction and a social commentary for that time? Curator: Absolutely! Consider the socio-economic context. Printmaking democratized images, making them accessible beyond the elite. By depicting Lucius engaged in manual labor, Sadeler links spiritual devotion with everyday toil, perhaps elevating the status of the working class, who were also consumers of these affordable prints. This is especially powerful, when we contrast that with paintings for the elites at that time. What are your thoughts? Editor: I see your point! It reframes labor as not just a necessity, but also a virtue and highlights a means of artistic consumption for many social classes, through these widely available engravings. I never would have considered that without thinking about the material context. Curator: Indeed. By examining the materials, methods, and circulation, we uncover deeper meanings about social values embedded within the artwork itself. A true testament to what we can interpret by observing the processes of its making.