Florence c. 19th century

Editor: This is Edward Goodall's "Florence," an engraving. It feels so distant and small, almost like a memory. What can you tell me about the making of this print? Curator: The etching process itself is crucial. Think about the copper plate, the acid bath, the physical labor involved in creating multiple impressions. The final print, then, becomes a commodity, circulated and consumed. How does that relate to its depiction of Florence? Editor: So, the act of making the art impacts our understanding of the art itself? Curator: Precisely. The print's materiality and its accessibility through mass production shifts the experience of Florence, doesn't it? It moves it from the exclusive realm of travel to something that can be owned, possessed, and consumed. Editor: That's a new way to think about landscape art. Thanks!