Fortune Using Man as a Plaything from Six Sayings about Fortune 1555 - 1565

Editor: This is "Fortune Using Man as a Plaything" from Six Sayings about Fortune, created between 1555 and 1565 by Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert. It's an etching, and it feels so intricately made. What strikes me is the precarious balance represented in the composition. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, consider the material process of etching. The labour involved in meticulously creating those lines with acid on a metal plate is crucial. Then think about who this imagery was *for*. Prints like these democratized art. How would the message about fortune's fickleness resonate differently when consumed by various social strata through printmaking? Editor: That's fascinating, the idea that the same image could have different meanings depending on who’s looking at it and *how* they obtain it. It challenges the traditional art historical focus on unique, handcrafted works for the elite. Curator: Exactly! And let's examine the symbolism within the social context. This balance signifies fortune's instability, but it is rendered through a labor-intensive process which implies skill and resources, almost contradicting the image's message of "luck". Editor: So the means of production become part of the meaning? Curator: Precisely! Coornhert challenges the boundary between “high” art and the craft of printmaking, creating new layers of understanding. Were the intended viewers critical of opulence, do you imagine? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, seeing the printmaking itself as a commentary. Thanks, this definitely gives me a new way to approach understanding art's purpose in society, through a lens of production. Curator: Glad to shed new light!