Maria med kristusbarnet stående på halvmånen 1820 - 1887

Editor: Here we have Johan Frederik Rosenstand’s “Maria med kristusbarnet stående på halvmånen,” or Mary with the Christ Child Standing on the Crescent Moon, made sometime between 1820 and 1887. It’s an engraving, almost like a detailed line drawing, and it’s so intricate! What stands out to you? Curator: The method of production interests me. Rosenstand, rather than focusing on painting a grand scene, used engraving to depict a very traditional religious image. How might this conscious choice of a 'low' art form democratize the image itself? Consider who would have had access to a print like this versus a commissioned painting. Editor: That's a great point! So, by using printmaking techniques like engraving and woodcut, Rosenstand was able to produce more of these, making the image accessible to a wider audience? Curator: Exactly. And consider the social context. Were inexpensive devotional images becoming more common, or were they a reaction *against* industrial modes of reproduction? Did he see value in older methods or seek to recontextualize production? The vine border, for instance, suggests hand-craftsmanship. What does this tell us? Editor: Maybe that the image has traditional spiritual values? Also, did he create it himself, or did assistants handle the production? Because in workshops of that era the making of art involved an entire industry of laborers... Curator: Precisely. Investigating the networks of production behind what we might consider a singular work helps us move beyond the ‘genius’ of the artist. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way before. So much to consider beyond just the image itself! Curator: Indeed. Seeing art within the frame of its creation opens up exciting ways to engage with its history and its cultural influence.