This is What You Were Born For 18th-19th century

Editor: This etching by Francisco Goya, called "This is What You Were Born For," shows a stark scene of violence. The materiality of the printmaking process seems to amplify the rawness of the subject. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a commentary on the industrialization of warfare. Goya is not just depicting violence, but the means by which it's carried out, and the social conditions that allow for such brutality. Consider the printmaking process itself—a mechanized form of reproduction—echoing the mass production of death. Editor: So you're saying the *how* it's made is as important as *what* is shown? Curator: Precisely. The very act of creating multiple prints implicates a wider audience in this violence, challenging the traditional boundaries between art object and social responsibility. What do you make of the figure standing over the bodies? Editor: It makes me think about the cost of labor and conflict and how individuals become dehumanized in the process. Thanks, that was really insightful. Curator: Indeed. It's through understanding the material conditions of art making that we can truly grasp its impact.