Ruiter te paard gaat er vandoor 1898

Editor: Here we have "Ruiter te paard gaat er vandoor," or "Horse rider takes off" by Jean-Louis Forain, created around 1898. It seems to be a pen drawing, possibly for a publication given the print beneath the artwork itself. It’s very simple in its lines but clearly satirical. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: It is a lithograph created using greasy crayons and transferred onto stone for mass reproduction, as the adverts on the same sheet demonstrate. Forain's labor, and that of the printers, becomes evident when examining the layered impressions. This wasn’t about "fine art"; this was reproductive labor tied to early consumer culture. Do you notice how the figures themselves seem almost mechanically reproduced? Editor: That's interesting, I was caught up in the loose sketch-like quality, but you’re right; there's a rigidness, almost a comic strip quality in how they’re rendered, particularly with that hat! I see "RF" written on the horse. What could that mean? Curator: Good eye. The ‘RF,’ could signify the French Republic, which makes this comical depiction potentially quite critical of the state. Is the rider running away WITH the Republic, or FROM it? The print, as a commodity, is therefore imbued with potentially subversive social critique and contributes to shaping public opinion. Do you agree? Editor: Yes, I hadn’t thought about how a piece like this wasn’t meant to be precious, it's literally a disposable critique consumed along with headache remedies! It changes the value of the image. Curator: Exactly! By analyzing its means of production and original context, we understand not just the “art” but also its role in shaping the social and material realities of its time. Editor: Thanks, I’m seeing caricature in a totally different light now, as something tied into consumer culture, not above it.