Både ved en stejl klippe 1621 - 1675

Editor: Here we have "Boats by a Steep Cliff," made sometime between 1621 and 1675 by Allaert van Everdingen, an etching. It's incredibly detailed for such a small print! The textures in the rocks really draw me in, almost begging me to touch them. How should we approach thinking about this artwork? Curator: Let's think about the etcher's process. This isn’t just a representation of a landscape, but a demonstration of labor and technique. How do you think the artist’s choice of etching, a printmaking method allowing for multiples, influences its interpretation and the potential reach of its message? Editor: Well, making prints means you can spread the image far and wide. Did that accessibility have some impact on the kind of landscapes he was portraying, or who was able to engage with art? Curator: Absolutely. The potential for wider consumption affects both subject and audience. Consider the rising merchant class in the Dutch Golden Age. What needs and desires were such images fulfilling? How does the commercial aspect, the art market, affect the artist’s choices here in terms of both subject matter and level of detail? Editor: That's a good point, people purchasing affordable art for their homes. Perhaps these picturesque landscapes were a way for people to connect with the natural world. I'd never really thought about prints in that context. Thanks! Curator: Precisely. Considering the social and economic backdrop, we gain a deeper understanding of not just *what* is depicted, but *why* and for *whom*. There is so much to uncover when we look at the art objects from a materialist perspective.