Landscape by Mill 1758

Editor: This is "Landscape by Mill" by Denis-Pierre-Jean Papillon de la Ferté, an etching. It has an almost storybook quality to it. What stands out to you about this work? Curator: The etching process itself is paramount here. How the artist manipulated the copper plate through acid and tooling directly impacts the final image and its distribution. Consider the labour involved in creating reproducible images for a wider audience. Editor: So it's not just the scene, but the work behind it? Curator: Precisely. Think about the social context. Who had access to these images? What narratives about labor and leisure were being circulated through these prints? It highlights the consumption of imagery. Editor: I never considered the societal implications of printmaking. Curator: Seeing it through a material lens helps us understand its production and consumption in its time. Editor: I'll remember to think about that going forward.