Christopher Paul Rose 1782

Meno Haas produced this print of Christopher Paul Rose in 1782. Note that this is a print after a painting by Eriksen, so Haas is working within a system of artistic reproduction. This highlights the role of the artist as not just an originator, but as someone who circulates images. Focusing on the inscription beneath the image, we can understand its social context. In praising Rose and belittling the usefulness of textbooks it suggests the importance of personal experience and natural talent over institutional learning, which may have been a critique of the established educational norms of the time. As art historians, we can use archival material such as letters and books to understand the social networks in which Haas was working, and to more fully understand the meaning and impact of his images. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.