The Piano's Revenge: Practice 1882

Editor: This is Adolf Oberlaender's "The Piano's Revenge: Practice." It looks like a pen and ink drawing. What strikes me is the level of detail and the somewhat satirical feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It seems to critique the bourgeois obsession with leisure and artistic refinement, doesn't it? Look at the labor implied in the piano's construction versus the perceived effortlessness of playing. Consider also the implied social expectations around music and gender in the period it was made. Editor: So, it's not just about the humor, but also about the social commentary embedded in the materials and their use? Curator: Precisely. The very act of creating this drawing, using mass-producible ink and paper, contrasts with the unique craftsmanship the depicted piano would have required. It's about the value we place on different forms of labor and consumption. Editor: I never thought about it that way, seeing the materials as part of the message. Thanks!