Design for a Title Page 1780 - 1800

Editor: So, here we have an anonymous work, "Design for a Title Page," likely created between 1780 and 1800. It's a pencil drawing on paper. It feels almost ephemeral, like a fleeting idea. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The drawing, with its delicate pencil work, immediately draws attention to the *process* of creation. Look at the visible hatching and the corrections – the labor of designing a title page is laid bare. How does this almost casual method of production subvert conventional hierarchical notions? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't considered it in that light. How so? Curator: Well, the "preciousness" usually associated with title pages is challenged by the visible marks of artistic labor. Instead of seeing the final product of fine art, we are made aware of its material existence, its construction. The presence of a cherubic figure could simply represent aspiration through its symbolism but may rather reflect period production requirements with child labour, and the garlands with an allegory for exploitation of colonial harvests. How do the geometric figures alter our consumption? Editor: It makes you wonder about the intended use and audience for this drawing, almost deconstructing what a title page represents. How interesting. Curator: Exactly! It’s a blueprint, a step in an assembly. By laying bare the materials and methods of creation, the artist compels us to look beyond the allegorical subject. What did the *making* of it mean? What social systems allowed this piece of artwork to exist? It makes it very provocative to see this art today in the context of capitalism. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. I was focused on the angel and decorative elements! This gives me a completely new appreciation for it. Curator: The piece moves past simple aesthetic appreciation, and brings a stark light onto a much wider dialogue.