Ganymede 1500 - 1503

Curator: Look at this intriguing engraving, "Ganymede" made by Giulio Campagnola around 1500. It's here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: Whoa, there's a definite sense of weightlessness in this print. The textures are rich, the bird almost leaps off the page... but something about Ganymede looks a little hesitant, doesn't he? Curator: I feel that. Campagnola was truly playing with light here, and how that softness would blend into those hard textures on that powerful eagle…it almost brings a painterly style to printmaking. He seemed driven to make ink dance. Editor: You're right. Look at the way he manipulates light with the hatching on the eagle. That makes me think about the craft. Think about the actual physical labor and skill that would be needed to achieve those tonal shifts... it's demanding and that demands respect! The pressure needed, the control, the years it would take to develop such finesse… Curator: It truly is magic, the way that hatching evokes that mythical story, isn’t it? The softness of flesh with the textures of feathers and earth. Do you think there’s something interesting in what Ganymede actually represents, abduction? Editor: Hmmm, interesting. I am thinking about paper-making here... Where would this paper come from? Who made it? Because you have the labour of the designer-engraver, then also, the making of paper… How many hands are on this object? I can’t just consider Giulio; this goes much wider and further back, through society and culture. Curator: It reminds me that stories never quite stay still. I'm sure many have tried to recreate this paper, and many interpretations of Ganymede abound. Editor: In an age saturated with throwaway images and fleeting impressions, contemplating the labour behind crafting an object can bring us all back down to earth. It adds some real value in today's society. Curator: It really makes you think about legacy doesn’t it? So long after Giulio put those lines down… Here we are pondering on Ganymede again!