Ornament mit den vier Elfen c. 1867 - 1868

Editor: Here we have "Ornament mit den vier Elfen" by Paul Konewka, created around 1867-1868, a pencil drawing. It looks like a preliminary sketch, quite ethereal and fragile. What catches your eye? Curator: Immediately, the process. Look at the tentative lines, the layering. This wasn’t conceived as a finished artwork for display, but likely as a preparatory design, possibly for a larger decorative project, maybe for an etching which Konewka was know for. How would this impact it's value in the market place, now? Editor: A design, you say. So it's not meant to stand alone, but to be reproduced? Curator: Exactly! This sketch provides insight into Konewka's method. We can trace his labor. Consider the role of "craft" versus "art". Are these cherubs, which are so central to our view of this as fine art, elevating this above a study in ornament. If reproduced commercially, would this still feel Romantic in its aesthetic? Editor: The commercial context completely changes how I see the cherubs. So the act of reproduction, of creating multiples, alters the perception? Curator: Precisely! Romanticism emphasizes uniqueness and originality, and the aura around the creative act. If this design became mass-produced, the concept shifts away from those ideals. Do you notice the types of labour involved? There are differences, if a commercial venture uses an artisan's expertise, such as engraving, and just creates lithographs as they go out the factory gates! Editor: That’s a really helpful way to look at it! I initially saw it just as a sweet, slightly amateur sketch of Romantic figures, but now I understand the materiality – the paper, the pencil marks, the potential for mass production. It makes me appreciate the artist’s hand so much more. Curator: It allows you to explore not just the aesthetics, but also the context of its creation and the means of production that gave it its existence. Thinking through both allows us to find greater understanding.