Reproductie van het schilderij Omnia Vincit Amor door Charles Verlat before 1880

This reproduction of Charles Verlat's painting, "Omnia Vincit Amor," was made by Joseph Maes. Though we don't have the exact date, we know Maes was active in the late 19th century. This isn't a painting, but a print, one step removed from the supposed artistic 'aura' of an original. The image itself, with its allegorical figures, evokes a world of classical ideals. But the reproductive technique speaks of a modern, industrialized world, one where images could be disseminated widely. Think about the labor involved. Not just the artist Verlat who created the original, but the skilled craftspeople who translated his vision into a format that could be mass-produced. This brings the question: how does value get assigned? Is it inherent in the original artwork, or does it also reside in the skill and labor required for its reproduction and distribution? This print, then, invites us to consider the wider social and economic context in which art is made, circulated, and consumed. It challenges us to look beyond the image itself and consider the processes and people that bring it into being.