Christ before the High Priest c. 18th century

Editor: This is Christ before the High Priest by Barthholomäus Ignaz Weiss, an etching. It feels incredibly raw and immediate, with the dense linework adding to the drama. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I see a stark depiction of power dynamics, explicitly through the materiality of the print. Consider the labor involved: the artist, the etcher, the printer, and the consumer of this image. It's a commodity, reflecting social and economic contexts. Who was meant to consume this image, and what were they meant to do with it? Editor: So, less about the religious aspect and more about its function as an object? Curator: Precisely. The reproduction of such scenes enabled the church to disseminate its ideology. Editor: Fascinating, it makes me think about the politics of image production in that time! Curator: Indeed, considering the social context helps us understand the true meaning behind the scene.