Vienna: Franciscan Church (Wien: Die Franziskanerkirche) 1908

Curator: Welcome! Before us we have Urban Janke’s "Vienna: Franciscan Church," created in 1908. It is an etching. Editor: My first impression is of graphic simplicity and bold outlining. The subdued palette evokes a sense of solemnity and perhaps the pre-war anxieties of the period. Curator: Janke created this etching in a period defined by a wave of social and artistic experimentation in Vienna. Think about the cultural forces brewing beneath the surface during that era and the way public spaces are both celebrated and subtly critiqued. Editor: It is fascinating to see how the artist uses etching techniques to mimic the look of woodblock printing, common in the German Expressionist movement, while referencing the aesthetics tied to his specific Central European locale. Curator: It does challenge the hierarchy of art versus craft! Look at how the bold lines and flat areas of color are produced using an industrial, reproducible medium such as etching. This allowed for a wide circulation and consumption. The title card itself is presented so directly. Editor: Absolutely, and this allows Janke to engage a wider audience and invite social commentary regarding faith, architecture, and what was understood at the time to be Viennese society. The church is rendered without overt reverence. Curator: Right, the cityscape itself takes center stage, becoming a reflection of the societal values. Notice how architecture becomes almost a character itself, imbued with social significance, through its depiction in prints like these? The statue depicted, for example, looms to our left, larger in size to the other parts in this rendition. Editor: The statue’s elevated position literally puts forth ideas about those with social and cultural standing and reflects power structures inherent in the culture's monuments and visual language. Thanks for guiding us to consider these aspects. Curator: My pleasure. By examining art through production and its means, we expose hidden societal values within seemingly static forms.