Landschap met klassieke beelden 1706 - 1744

Editor: This is "Landscape with Classical Statues" by Cornelis van Jagen, dating from the early 18th century. It looks like an engraving, a print, and I'm struck by how staged and artificial the nature seems. What's your take? Curator: I'm drawn to the mechanics of its creation. Engravings, especially during this period, highlight the socio-economic landscape of art production. This wasn't about the artist's individual genius alone; it was a collaborative, industrial process. Consider the labor involved in producing the metal plates, the precise tools required, and the distribution networks needed to disseminate the final prints. Editor: So, you're less interested in the picturesque scene and more in how it came to be? Curator: Precisely. This "artificial" nature you observe—isn’t that reflective of a controlled, manufactured aesthetic? It speaks to a specific patron and the materials used, showcasing status and wealth via intricate details replicable across numerous impressions. What about the paper itself, or the ink used? Did van Jagen prepare his own materials? Probably not! Editor: Right, he’d have relied on specialist suppliers, tradesmen who had their own place in society... The print almost hides all of this labour. Curator: Exactly! And think about who was consuming these images. Were they luxury items, accessible only to the elite, or were they disseminated more widely? Considering its mass production capabilities, does that challenge our understanding of art’s accessibility at the time? Editor: I hadn’t thought about that. I was stuck on it just being a pretty scene, overlooking all the behind-the-scenes processes, including labor. Now it is more than just an image. It is about economy and social access. Curator: Absolutely, viewing art through its materiality and production process unveils layers often hidden by a focus on aesthetics alone. I now feel more critical toward landscape as mere artistic expression and view it more as a representation of consumerism.