Gruppe von Mönchen und Magiern 

Editor: This intriguing drawing, "Gruppe von M\u00f6nchen und Magiern", made with ink and pencil on paper, seems to capture a gathering of monks and magicians, perhaps caught in a moment of contemplation or maybe conspiring. The gray monochrome wash lends it an unfinished, almost dreamlike quality. What stands out to you most about this piece? Curator: It is the method by which Tiepolo has built up this image; a process that is fascinating in itself, because here, through this assembly, we witness how social hierarchies could be portrayed. Note the rapid, almost frantic strokes of ink and pencil. He wasn't concerned with smooth transitions or blending. How does the visible labor impact your interpretation? Editor: It gives a sense of immediacy, as if he dashed it off quickly to capture a fleeting scene. Almost like a news sketch, made on site... But is that the "labor" you are pointing to? Curator: Exactly! Tiepolo is deliberately revealing his working method. See how he contrasts this spontaneous sketch-like quality with the deliberate caricatures, emphasizing social types. Are these individualized people or social commentary? We are not invited to 'be' these characters but look AT them! Also, consider that the accessibility of paper and ink made such explorations of societal observation far more democratic. How did mass production impact artistic expression? Editor: So the materials themselves—the paper and ink and the *way* Tiepolo uses them—allow for social critique that wouldn't be possible with, say, a fresco intended for a palace. Curator: Precisely. The choice of such readily available and workable material for satire challenges existing notions of "high" art. How the piece functions as an object in its time matters so much. Editor: I've certainly started to think about "low" material culture in a totally different way. Curator: Indeed, art is about making and distribution, isn't it?