Illustration nr. 16 til "L`Amour et Psyché" 1862

Curator: Let's delve into Lorenz Frølich's 1862 print, "Illustration nr. 16 til 'L`Amour et Psyché'," currently held at the SMK. Editor: This piece has a rather storybook quality. I am intrigued by the layering of different scenes, all encased within this ornate, almost thorny frame. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, from a materialist lens, I see a careful orchestration of labor and technique. Frølich's choice of engraving suggests a desire for reproduction, for disseminating this romantic narrative widely. Consider the social context: Who was the target audience for such prints, and how might their class background have shaped their reading of the Psyche myth? What kind of resources are required to have these materials at your disposition? Editor: I see, it is interesting to consider how this romanticized image relates to industrial methods of production! Curator: Indeed! This print complicates traditional boundaries between high art and craft. Engraving was a skilled craft, but it was also a process of mechanical reproduction, potentially challenging the uniqueness and aura of the artwork. Editor: So, the choice of printmaking is less about individual expression and more about wider accessibility. The frame itself, does that indicate social status? Curator: Precisely! Furthermore, the ornate frame – you rightly noticed it – highlights consumption. Its detail would be achieved through the labour of craftsmen whose material well being would be intrinsically related to the commission of this art. How does thinking about its production change your view of the image? Editor: It’s incredible to consider how materials and their use can change our view of art and its place in culture. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on the means of production, labor, and consumption, we move beyond simple aesthetic appreciation and enter a world of social and economic meanings embedded within the image.