3 Dekorationsmotiver 1763 - 1809

Editor: This print, "3 Dekorationsmotiver," from sometime between 1763 and 1809 by Elias Meyer, it's an engraving showing three different decorative motifs, as the name suggests! I'm struck by how clearly we can see the process, almost like looking at an instruction manual for creating decorations. What do you notice about this piece, particularly regarding its production? Curator: Seeing the grid lines, the visible means of production, speaks volumes. This wasn’t just about the *image*, but about a system. Meyer offers us insight into 18th-century artisanal labor, breaking down "high art" application. This engraving, how it was *meant* to be used for application in different forms, becomes incredibly compelling. Consider also, the role that decoration played within the society of that time and who was in the labor force. Are we talking fine application by Meyer or more industrial efforts based on Meyer's art. Editor: I didn’t think of that—about its intended utility rather than its aesthetic value on its own. Curator: Exactly! The very idea of "decorative art" challenges a hierarchy, doesn’t it? Meyer uses printmaking, a technique easily reproduced, which would allow these designs to circulate widely. And look closely - the combination of floral elements with musical instruments...what materials would these artisans need to mimic the artwork through different media and means? Editor: Thinking about the materials needed really contextualizes it. Now, seeing these motifs as designs *for* something else changes the whole perspective. It wasn’t made to hang in a gallery. Curator: Precisely. And what does that shift in perspective reveal? Perhaps about how we value artistic labor today? Editor: I suppose that we expect 'artists' to come up with ideas out of their minds, not follow plans in a grid like Meyer, or to repeat patterns in architecture that reflect those decorations, maybe in relief. But those traditions share the same intention for decoration, which makes this very humbling to reconsider where value is. Thanks for this material approach!