Self-Portrait 1866

Editor: Here we have Adrian Ludwig Richter’s self-portrait. What strikes me is the detail in the rendering of his coat, almost tactile. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Looking at Richter's portrait, I see an emphasis on production. The engraver's labor, the paper's cost, and the sitter's bourgeois status all speak to a system of value creation. How does its material existence shape its meaning? Editor: So, its value isn't just aesthetic? Curator: Precisely. The image's worth is entangled with the social and economic forces that enabled its creation and dissemination. Considering its physical being complicates any notion of pure artistry. Editor: I never thought of it that way. It makes me wonder about the role of craftsmanship and its connection to social structures.