Le Soir. Cerf et Herons 

Editor: Here we have Karl Bodmer's etching "Le Soir. Cerf et Herons," depicting a stag and herons in a landscape. There’s such stillness and muted color, it almost feels like a memory. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Immediately I’m drawn to the process itself – the deliberate choice of etching. Think about the labour involved in creating this image. The copper plate, the acid… Each line meticulously carved. Consider its place within the Romantic and Realist movements; both placed significant emphasis on the human relationship to the environment. Was it accessible, in terms of both labor and financial requirements, and who was the target market for these landscape prints? Editor: So you are saying it's interesting to consider who would have bought it and displayed it. Curator: Exactly. These prints provided access to landscapes for a rising middle class, who consumed images of nature through this very process, and the materiality of the print allowed multiple editions and made it more accessible to them. This image would be consumed, displayed in homes... a representation of the wild now tamed and made domestic through industrial means. It highlights the evolving social values surrounding nature and the consumption of art. What do you make of that contrast? Editor: I hadn’t really considered how the method of production connects to who would have viewed it. Curator: Precisely. Thinking about it that way unlocks a whole new perspective. Consider how the industrial revolution changed landscape; how that in turn changed its art! It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s about access and commodification. Editor: That's a really compelling point. Now, I see this print very differently! Curator: Indeed, the act of production always holds important insight.