Mountain landscape with staffage 

Editor: This drawing, "Mountain Landscape with Staffage" by Franz Kobell, created in the 18th century, using ink on paper, presents a sprawling landscape. It feels very traditional, almost idealized. What's your perspective on it? Curator: It's crucial to consider the material reality embedded in this idyllic landscape. The labor required to produce the ink, prepare the paper, and execute the drawing isn't readily apparent, yet it shaped the artwork profoundly. What class of individual do you think made or purchased this ink? Editor: So you’re saying we should think about the labor that went into creating the drawing itself, not just what it depicts? I hadn't considered the socio-economic aspect of art material production then! Curator: Precisely. Think about the availability and cost of materials. Were they readily accessible? The relative luxury of high-quality paper and ink points towards a particular economic sphere of both the producer and intended consumer of the art. How would that influence its content, its subject matter, even its style? Editor: That's a great point. Maybe the idealization of the landscape is tied to a specific market demand or a wealthy patron’s desire. Maybe ink drawings such as this had a role in broader manufacturing and craft landscapes. Curator: Consider too, how the “staffage,” or the figures, are positioned within this landscape. Are they engaging in labor? Their mere presence within the drawing as “art” challenges any absolute division between labour and art, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. Thinking about the means of production, the cost of materials, and the intended audience gives the landscape a whole new layer of meaning. Curator: Exactly! By examining the materials and the means of production, we can start to see the social and economic forces at play. I am gratified to have shared this experience with you! Editor: Me too! Now I want to research eighteenth-century ink production. It’s all connected.