Gezicht op Edam 1679

Editor: Here we have "View of Edam" from 1679, an engraving by Gaspar Bouttats, held at the Rijksmuseum. It strikes me as quite a precise depiction, almost like a technical drawing. How do you read this piece? Curator: I see a careful depiction of Edam as a hub of material exchange. Note the prominence given to the sailing vessel – the means by which goods were transported. This print, produced through a meticulous etching process, served not just as art, but as a form of commodity itself, documenting and promoting Dutch prosperity through maritime trade. What is being bought and sold through images such as this? What form of labor has produced not just the goods being transported on that vessel, but the image itself? Editor: That's interesting. So the print isn’t just showing us a city, it’s also about the act of making and distributing these images, their social function...almost advertising Dutch mercantile power. Curator: Precisely. The meticulous lines used to create this view mimic the careful labor invested in building the ships, windmills, and homes portrayed, as well as the networks required for both their real world and image production. Editor: The print itself then becomes a sort of product, dependent on those same trade routes! The details almost obscure how much labor was involved...and required of the people portrayed in the images. Curator: Indeed, it reveals how aesthetics and economics intertwine. Thinking about the material conditions of its production can make us question traditional artistic hierarchies of intention by bringing new information into our awareness of the scene. What new readings might we offer by looking at those overlooked elements? Editor: I never thought of a cityscape in terms of material culture before! Considering the printmaking process itself definitely shifts my perspective.