September 1722 - 1784

Curator: The engraving before us, titled "September," comes to us from the workshop of Simon Fokke, created sometime between 1722 and 1784. The work is now held in the Rijksmuseum collection. What strikes you first? Editor: It's an idyllic scene. Almost dreamlike, though rendered with sharp precision in line and form. The contrasting light and shadow create an almost theatrical stage for the figures. Curator: Fokke and his contemporaries often produced engravings like these as illustrations. This one may have served as part of a calendar, a fashionable sort of aristocratic pastime book, or a larger publication. Editor: Looking at the details – the lines of the architecture, the swirling forms of the trees, it seems very self-conscious in its formality. Curator: Agreed. Engraving requires skilled labor, of course, but also a sophisticated network of printmakers, publishers, distributors, and consumers. The printmaking industry in 18th-century Europe offered relatively affordable art to a broader audience than ever before, thus also promoting certain ideals and representations. Editor: Indeed. The architecture speaks volumes. It’s like a stage set, framing this leisurely gathering with that very solid Baroque facade. Even the lone hunter in the foreground looks like a character from a play, right? Curator: Precisely, we are witnesses to carefully constructed social norms, emphasizing aristocratic pastimes and refined tastes made accessible through print technology to more than just the wealthiest families. Note, too, how the relatively mass produced and disseminated image works to consolidate cultural power. Editor: I hadn't considered the role of mass production. I was so busy noting the contrast in textures - the crisp lines defining the figures against the looser rendering of the foliage, contributing to the sense of depth. The scale works so well too—drawing you into this miniature world. Curator: See how even your appreciation for the purely formal elements underscores its success as propaganda, its capacity for constructing and enforcing a certain vision of reality? It’s ingenious. Editor: A convincing argument! This interplay between production, the market, and formal artistry adds depth to this print. Curator: I’ll agree with that sentiment! It’s more than just aesthetics; it's about how such works shaped and reinforced social norms, accessible to a growing audience beyond the elite.