Venetiaans concert 1864 - 1923

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at "Venetiaans concert," or "Venetian Concert," a print created sometime between 1864 and 1923 by Peter von Halm, after Francesco Guardi. It is held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Ah, a shimmering ballroom scene captured in monochrome. I can almost hear the delicate strains of violins despite the absence of color. Curator: Indeed. This work offers a glimpse into the intersection of printmaking and social practice. Note the dense hatching, the almost frenetic energy of the lines suggesting light reflecting off of textiles and architecture. Editor: It’s a layered experience, a dance of social order and perhaps a subtle commentary on art as commerce? There's almost too much detail; the eye struggles to find a single resting point. Are we meant to feel a sense of societal anxiety mirrored in the artwork's density? Curator: Possibly. What intrigues me most is how this print facilitates access. Printmaking enabled the wider distribution of artworks, democratizing, in a sense, images of wealth and leisure for a broader consuming public. The engraving flattens, duplicates and sells luxury. Editor: A ghost of baroque opulence reproduced for the masses. Thinking about process, it's compelling that the artist is reproducing the imagery to extend it further and engage new audiences. Did this alter his perception and treatment of it as he transferred it through print? Curator: That's precisely the tension. We see here how high art is mediated and circulated, and made into a consumer object in itself. The artist Halm doesn’t merely reproduce Guardi; he participates in the re-evaluation of art's value and distribution in an era of rapid social and technological change. The baroque aesthetic here transforms in relation to changes in consumption habits and values. Editor: I see that so strongly now! It really does recontextualize Guardi, rendering the elite affairs into something tangible, a commodity that invites critical engagement. A lovely reminder to consider not just the art, but the entire apparatus surrounding it. Thank you. Curator: A pleasure.