Visiting the Sick 1581 - 1582

Editor: This is Adriaen Collaert's "Visiting the Sick." It's an early print, and the scene is quite compelling, with many figures in a somewhat crowded composition. What strikes you when you look at this? Curator: The focus for me falls on the materiality of the printmaking process itself. Consider the labor involved in creating this multiple, disseminating a message about charity. Who were the consumers of such images, and how did this availability shape ideas about social responsibility? Editor: That's a different perspective than I had considered. I was thinking more about the subjects within the image. Curator: But isn’t the means of production part of the message? The act of creating and distributing this image is a form of labor, a material expression of the very charity it depicts. Editor: I suppose that's true. It does make you think about the economics and the act of distribution beyond just the scene itself. Thanks for sharing your perspective!