Drie gasmeters before 1865

Editor: We’re looking at “Drie gasmeters,” or "Three Gas Meters," by Jean-Baptiste Daems, made before 1865. It’s a print, maybe a photograph. They’re very technical drawings, and honestly, kind of cold and uninviting at first glance. What strikes you when you look at this? Curator: "Cold and uninviting," you say? Well, perhaps...or perhaps deliciously precise. Imagine Daems, hunched over, candlelight flickering, utterly absorbed in capturing every cog, every connection of these marvels of the industrial age. To me, it whispers of a world transforming. What was considered art back then, was far beyond landscapes and portraiture! Do you see any kind of artistry to this image at all, if you look again? Editor: Okay, I see what you mean. It’s less about aesthetics and more about…documenting. The meticulous detail is kind of amazing, now that you mention it. Almost obsessive! So is it the subject or the artist that makes it compelling to you? Curator: Both, certainly! The gas meters represent an exciting, rapidly changing world, and the artistry is in the unwavering focus. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in the spirit of the creator, so I like to ponder Daems' state of mind back then. Were they commissioned to depict the meter, and simply trying to accomplish a task, or fascinated by the machines themselves, perhaps contemplating a fully mechanical life, a kind of proto-cyberpunk reflection on our relationship with technology! Which one speaks to you most? Editor: Huh, I never thought of it that way. I'm going to have to look at technical drawings with fresh eyes from now on! I appreciate you explaining the beauty in documentation and also expanding the potential reading for such an artifact from the industrial revolution. Curator: Likewise! Every time we re-examine art we can only benefit! It's all subjective.