Standing Youth Drinking from a Cup 1685 - 1730

Editor: So, here we have Matthys Pool’s “Standing Youth Drinking from a Cup,” made sometime between 1685 and 1730. It's an etching, so it has these crisp lines that give the figure a somewhat stark and simple feel. What stands out to you when you look at it? Curator: It's the method of production itself that grabs my attention. Think about the etching process: the acid biting into the metal plate, the labor involved in creating multiples, each one slightly different. How does this repetitive, almost industrial process, inform our understanding of what the artist intended to convey in this baroque period piece? Is it about accessibility, the devaluing, perhaps, of the unique artwork, or merely distribution? Editor: That’s a great point, I was so caught up in the figure that I didn’t consider the socio-economic factors involved in making a print. Curator: Consider also how the act of drinking, something mundane and common, is rendered here. What cup is the youth drinking from? What resources or trade networks made this act possible? How did class dynamics determine what vessels or beverages one could consume? By questioning the raw materials involved in every act portrayed we start to dismantle hierarchical notions separating fine art from the material realities of daily life. Editor: I guess it’s about thinking past the romantic image and looking at what was going on materially, too, both in its creation, in distributing the prints, and even with what the subject is holding! The means of production have shifted our understanding of both content and reception. Curator: Precisely! It highlights the inherent connection between artistic expression, production practices, and cultural contexts that underpin and propel artwork.