New Year Card 1909

Editor: Here we have Lucien Pissarro's wood engraving, "New Year Card," created in an unknown year. It's quite small. I'm struck by its handcrafted quality. What does its creation as a card suggest to you? Curator: The wood engraving process itself is key. Its accessibility contrasts with elite art forms. Pissarro's choice of this medium speaks to a desire for wider distribution and challenges the hierarchy of art production. It democratizes art as a tangible, exchangeable object. Editor: So it's not just the image but the means of making it that’s important? Curator: Exactly. Consider the labor involved, the materials used, and the intended audience. These factors situate the artwork within a network of production and consumption that informs its meaning. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It’s important to remember that materiality shapes the message.