Landscape with Mules and Goats 18th century

Editor: We are looking at a piece from the SMK, titled "Landscape with Mules and Goats," by KMS 980 Monogrammist I.L., made in the 18th century with mixed media and watercolor on ceramic tiles. It feels fragmented, almost like looking at a memory. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Considering this piece, my attention is drawn to the materiality of the ceramic tiles. The tile format implies a seriality, doesn't it? But the work, instead of a mechanically produced image, has an organic quality to it, made of heterogeneous gestures. What does the intersection of industrial media with human marks suggest to you? Editor: I see what you mean, it's not exactly mass produced, and not really an individual painting either. Each tile contributes individually but also together to the whole image, creating a very interesting dynamic. What's the impact of it being ceramic and not canvas, for instance? Curator: Exactly. This use of ceramic breaks down the traditional hierarchy of art materials. Painting is considered higher, with ceramics as a medium used primarily for crafts and domestic purposes, thus blurring that boundary and perhaps questioning the means and methods through which labor is made visible. Considering this work was created in the 18th century, are there additional historical or cultural interpretations to explore? Editor: That is fascinating. I suppose it could also be interpreted in the context of social structure. The combination of what are considered elevated materials, such as paint, on a traditionally working-class one, such as ceramic, challenges societal ideas of labor. I definitely see this piece in a different light. Curator: And for me, reflecting on this dialogue, the artist's decision to present this image through the labor-intensive process of ceramic tiles and then painted over raises crucial questions about art production and how value is created, questioning how materials mediate our understanding.