Standing Bull Facing Right c. 16th century

Editor: So, this is "Standing Bull Facing Right" by Antonio Tempesta, from the late 16th or early 17th century. It's a print, and the detail is amazing. How should we interpret the artist's choices? Curator: Consider the etching process itself. Acid bites into the metal, creating these lines. Tempesta's labor, the copper's materiality, and the acid's agency all contribute. How does this industrial process shape the image's meaning? Editor: I see what you mean. It's not just about the bull, but the *making* of the bull. Is the bull a commodity? Curator: Exactly! Think about the consumption of images in that era, the print market, the labor involved in producing these multiples. What does it say about the changing relationship between art, craft, and commerce? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the printmaking process as part of the artwork's message itself. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure.