François Boucher 1761

Editor: Here we have Manuel Salvador Carmona’s portrait of François Boucher. I’m struck by the detail in the engraving – you can almost feel the texture of his velvet coat! What’s your perspective on this work? Curator: Consider the engraving process itself. The labor, the skill required to translate Boucher's likeness into a reproducible image. How does this impact our understanding of Boucher's fame and the consumption of his image? It democratizes access, doesn't it? Editor: So, it's not just about Boucher as an individual, but the entire system that allowed his image to circulate. Curator: Precisely. We must also remember the engraver's labor, often unacknowledged. What does Carmona's role in this tell us about the hierarchy of artistic production at the time? Editor: That's a totally different way of seeing it; it’s about the means of production, not just the subject. Thanks!