Design: Instruments, from Encyclopédie 1762 - 1777

Curator: Up next, we have “Design: Instruments, from Encyclopédie,” an etching and engraving on paper, dating from 1762 to 1777. It's currently part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection. What’s your initial read? Editor: Gosh, it reminds me of my grandpa's workshop! Orderly, but filled with intriguing tools I couldn’t even name. There's something comforting, yet slightly clinical, about the way these objects are presented. Curator: Precisely. Note the organization, typical of academic art. The items—artist's tools—are laid out with precision. The crisp lines and clear presentation prioritize information. Each object, carefully rendered, becomes a signifier within a structured system. Editor: A system indeed. It's almost a user manual, like IKEA instructions but for 18th-century artists! The etching emphasizes the functionality and design, as if celebrating the craftsmanship itself. Is that a seashell? How wonderfully random amidst all this purposefulness! Curator: Not so random! The seashell was employed as a vessel for holding pigments. It speaks to a natural resource cleverly integrated into the artistic process. Each tool signifies a stage, a technique, or a material that, combined, unlock artistic creation. Editor: You're right, the seashell grounds the whole thing in the real world. Without it, it might feel a bit sterile, more like a catalogue. I love how they’ve used line work to capture shadow and volume… look at that little stool; so basic, yet so perfectly rendered! Curator: That stool, its elevation from mere object to subject mirrors the overall goal of the Encyclopédie—to classify, illuminate, and make accessible the accumulated knowledge of the arts and sciences. Even the numbering functions as a structuring principle. Editor: It’s a clever concept… an encyclopedia visually unpackaged! Makes me think about how knowledge evolves—from painstakingly hand-crafted illustrations like this, to the endless scroll of tutorials on our phones. Each trying to break down creativity. Curator: An astute observation. The move towards accessibility democratizes artmaking. While the tools and styles may transform over time, the enduring power of visual language persists as a way of interpreting and representing our world. Editor: Definitely. Seeing all of these things laid out here together like this has given me such new ideas to go away and explore for my work. It makes one wonder at the skill of these artisans to construct these works, all those centuries ago.