C. Cornelisen 1786

Editor: This engraving from 1786 is titled "C. Cornelisen" and created by Georg Christian Schule. The figures look to be on a ship dock, and a man is seemingly being held or attacked by a group of people. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: This print provides us with a direct representation of labour. Note how the varying depths achieved through engraving communicate both form and a sort of material reality. Do you notice any patterns? Editor: Well, there's a clear hierarchy. The central European figure is the focus, seemingly struggling with other people surrounding him. Their bodies are much more cramped. Curator: Exactly! This highlights an uneven power dynamic inherent to production. An important detail lies in the fact that this is a *print*, one of potentially many, easily reproduced copies. This engraving makes visible a story involving colonial powers, using an easily disseminated and cheaply manufactured object. How might that affect its meaning? Editor: So the print itself is part of the story. Making this moment accessible on a wider scale emphasizes the colonial enterprise by depicting this moment of potential struggle. I suppose mass production changes the context, imbuing the artwork with meaning that would have been absent from painting or unique artworks. It shows that the meaning isn't *only* in the image, but is derived from the social reality of the creation, consumption, and global impacts of these historical actors and the object itself. Curator: Precisely! By emphasizing production, the image reveals its own embeddedness in broader networks of power, value, and exchange. Editor: I never considered how the medium itself could add another layer to its story. Thanks for sharing that insightful approach!