Standbeeld van Mercurius 1669 - 1677

Editor: This is Claude Mellan's "Statue of Mercury," a drawing in pencil on paper from between 1669 and 1677, now at the Rijksmuseum. The detail achieved with pencil alone is impressive. How would you interpret the making of this artwork? Curator: Considering this drawing through a materialist lens, I'm fascinated by Mellan's choice of pencil and paper to depict this classical statue. Why employ such seemingly simple, readily available materials to represent a form that, in its original context, would likely have been crafted from marble or bronze? It compels us to think about the shift in value and function as the statue is transformed through the drawing process. What kind of labor do you think it would involve? Editor: The intense focus on replicating form, on close observation and skillful rendering… It feels almost scientific. Is it about elevating drawing to a level comparable with sculpture, thereby demonstrating artistic skill and labour? Curator: Precisely! Think about the accessibility of the drawing medium itself. This work then engages with notions of mass production through reproducible media; prints making images and information available to an ever-wider audience. We could further discuss about labour, and the artistic and commercial structures shaping art production and consumption during Mellan’s time. Editor: I never thought about it like that. Seeing the materials and techniques used sheds new light on the image. Curator: Focusing on the material conditions of its production helps to understand both its status as a representation and its place within wider systems of making, distributing, and viewing art. There's more than meets the eye. Editor: Definitely a new way to look at art. Thanks!