Rivierlandschap met twee wilgen 1830 - 1882

Editor: This is "River Landscape with Two Willows" by Johannes Pieter van Wisselingh, made sometime between 1830 and 1882. It's a print made with etching and engraving, and it feels very delicate. What strikes you about it? Curator: I see a fascinating dialogue between the tools and materials employed. Consider the etcher's needle scratching away at the metal plate. What kind of labor was required to produce this image? It forces us to confront the division of labor implicit in art production, doesn't it? Was this created for mass consumption? What are your thoughts on that? Editor: It’s interesting to think about the labor that went into making something that seems so effortless. Given its small size and the medium of print, I would have guessed that its aim was more towards accessibility, however, it seems as though there were only two copies of this print. That does lead one to wonder, what exactly was the function of its production? Curator: Precisely! This piece makes us think about artistic labor as work and invites us to rethink what is deemed high art versus mere craft or reproduction. This tension, this relationship to production, defines our understanding of the image itself. I find the limited print run especially intriguing in this context. Perhaps it was meant to be a study. Editor: I never considered the labor aspect so directly before, or how the act of creation informs the value we place on a piece. Curator: The material conditions are never neutral. The print's value isn’t just in its aesthetic quality but in its physical creation, the artist's process, and even the paper it’s printed on. Considering its context and production challenges traditional definitions of art. I’m happy this has been enlightening for you!