Twee fotoreproducties van tekeningen, voorstellende een straatverkoper en een putto met een kikker before 1899

These two photographic reproductions of drawings, of a street seller and a putto with a frog, appear in a book of unknown date by an anonymous artist. Found within a book, these reproductions are images twice removed from their original artistic form. This distance invites us to consider the place of art within cultural institutions. On the one hand, the images depict scenes of everyday life and popular mythology, making art accessible and relatable. On the other hand, the book itself acts as a filter, mediating our experience of the art. The choice of subject matter further complicates the matter. Is the artist making a populist gesture by creating a drawing that can be easily reproduced? Or is it a commentary on the commodification of art? To understand the meaning of this work, it is useful to investigate similar images and cultural objects. Researching the social and institutional context can shed light on the artist's intentions and the broader cultural forces that shaped the work. By looking at the book, the choice of subject, and the method of reproduction, we can begin to understand the role of art in society.