Seascape c. 1895

Curator: This is a small yet evocative print attributed to Pierre Roche, titled “Seascape,” housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a memory, almost faded, rendered in monochrome. The horizontal lines create a sense of expanse, but there's also a feeling of constraint. Curator: The printmaking process itself interests me. Look closely at the plate's edge, consider the labor involved in creating this image—the physical act of etching, the materials used, the social context of printmaking as a form of dissemination. Were these seascapes accessible to the working class, or strictly for the wealthy? Editor: That focus on accessibility is critical. The sea, traditionally a space of both freedom and forced migration, gains another layer of complexity when filtered through the lens of class and availability. How does the artist's own identity inform his perspective on this subject matter? Curator: Considering all this reminds me that art and its interpretation are never neutral. Editor: Indeed, and reflecting on these material realities brings us to a more critical understanding of art’s place in our world.