View of a Village near Rome c. 18th century

Curator: Immediately, the sheer volume of labor to produce this etching strikes me. Pierre Jean Duret's "View of a Village near Rome" presents such intricate detail. Editor: There's a certain pastoral charm, isn't there? A romanticized view of rural life, but I wonder about the actual realities for the people who lived there. Curator: Indeed, this print, housed at the Harvard Art Museums, begs questions about the material conditions that allowed for its production and consumption. Who could afford such detailed landscape views? Editor: It also raises questions about whose labor sustains this scene. The cows depicted here, for instance, are both picturesque and tied to the material realities of agricultural labor. I am curious about gender roles and labor at the time. Curator: A point well taken. The consumption of landscape imagery was, itself, a form of labor and class distinction. Editor: We can appreciate its beauty, but we must also acknowledge it as a product of a specific historical moment, laden with social and economic implications. Curator: Precisely. Looking at it through the lens of production and distribution really enriches our experience. Editor: Absolutely, I'm seeing it with new eyes.