The art of printing 

Alfred Rethel made this drawing, "The Art of Printing," sometime in the mid-19th century, commemorating the invention of the printing press. The drawing is an allegory of the effects of mechanical print. Its central panel shows the inventor Gutenberg flanked by representatives of commerce and the arts, who receive a printed document. The surrounding scenes show both the positive and negative consequences of the technology: martyrdoms of reformers made possible by the spread of humanist ideas, but also the horrors of war brought about by religious conflict. Rethel was German, and he was working at a time of increasing nationalism. The rise of printed media played a role in shaping national identity. In this drawing, we see the artist grappling with this new technology. Was it a force for good or evil? Rethel seems to suggest it was both. To understand the drawing more fully, we can consult historical sources about the rise of print media. By looking at the social and institutional context, we can better understand the meaning of the artwork.