The Windmill c. 18th century

Editor: This is "The Windmill" by François Vivares, a delicate etching. The precision of the lines is incredible. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider the paper itself—its manufacture, its cost. Etchings like these weren't simply aesthetic objects. They were commodities, produced through a labor-intensive process, for a market that valued representations of landscape and industry. Editor: So, the windmill isn’t just a pretty scene; it’s about work? Curator: Precisely. Think about the miller’s labor, the social context of grain production, and how this image participates in the circulation of goods and ideas. Editor: I hadn't considered the economics of art like that before. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, appreciating art means interrogating its material basis and the social relations it reflects.