Illustration to Voltaire, "Candide" 1948

Editor: Here we have Imre Reiner's "Illustration to Voltaire, 'Candide'," created in 1948, a drawing, engraving and print. The sharp, angular lines give it an almost anxious quality, despite the seemingly classical subject matter. What do you make of this piece, considering its materials and production? Curator: It's interesting you pick up on that anxiety. For me, it’s directly linked to the context of its making. Post-war, Reiner, having survived Nazi persecution, turns to illustrating Voltaire. I immediately consider the socio-political backdrop—the availability of materials, the physical act of engraving during a time of rebuilding, the distribution networks for prints like these... what does that labor tell us? Editor: That makes sense. It seems to channel the anxieties of its time through the very process of creation. Did the constraints of materials and access somehow feed into that jagged style? Curator: Precisely. We must also consider Reiner's hands on the plate; his physical engagement. Notice how the figures aren't idealized, as you might expect with Voltaire? He's representing bodies shaped by struggle and survival. The limitations of engraving at the time weren’t constraints; rather, they are imbued with social meaning as traces of materiality. Editor: I never really considered how much the artist’s labor contributes to the final emotional impact. Curator: Art isn't just about 'high' concept, it's material process and it's political; a cultural reflection formed of many conscious, or unconscious, choices. I keep coming back to considering Reiner as a body engraving; that’s the core of this powerful statement. Editor: Thank you, I appreciate that, and that really broadens how I'll approach prints moving forward.