Arcadian Landscape c. 17th century

Editor: Here we have Moyses van Uyttenbroeck's "Arcadian Landscape". It's a small print, quite detailed. What strikes me is how the figures seem both idealized and very much part of a working landscape. How do you read this piece? Curator: Considering the means of production, this etching allows for the mass dissemination of an idealized rural life. Note the labor involved in creating the plate versus the seemingly effortless existence depicted. Does that contrast make you think about consumption and class? Editor: That's interesting – the tension between the work to create the image and the leisure it portrays. I hadn't considered that. Curator: Exactly! It makes you consider who this image was made for and what kind of message it was intended to convey. Editor: I see what you mean; thank you for that different perspective.