Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van een boer die met twee paarden voor een ploeg op het land werkt door Constant Troyon before 1880

This photograph of a painting by Constant Troyon was created by Alexandre, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a reproduction, its material presence is subtle: it’s a thin sheet of paper, made light-sensitive to capture an image of brushstrokes and textures. But consider the labor at play here. Troyon’s painting captured rural life, probably with some romanticism. Alexandre then re-presents this rural scene via a new technology. Photography in this period involved a complex chemistry of light and materials, manipulated by the photographer, but it also references the industrialization of agriculture itself. The plow and horses symbolize traditional farming methods but are now mediated through two processes of mechanical reproduction. This piece asks us to consider the relationship between artistic representation, social progress, and the changing nature of work. It reminds us that art does not exist in a vacuum; it's shaped by the technology and labor of its time.