Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina te Rome 1669 - 1670

Curator: This is Giovanni Battista Falda's "Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina in Rome", created around 1669-1670. It’s an intaglio print, so etching and ink on paper. Editor: The level of detail is incredible for an etching. It really captures the grandeur of the architecture, but also, because it's a print, feels quite accessible. What stands out to you? Curator: It's interesting how Falda uses the print medium to not only document but also mediate the experience of architecture. Consider the social and economic context: prints like these circulated widely, democratizing access to depictions of elite architectural projects. He isn’t just presenting the church; he's crafting a commodity. Notice the emphasis given to texture through varied line work and strategic use of shadow? How might those textures communicate details about the stones’ quarrying, preparation, or how the church construction impacted local building trades? Editor: That makes me think about who was able to afford these prints. Would local tradesmen even see this print and think of the supply chain? Curator: It’s a complex relationship. While ownership was limited, prints served as inspiration across societal levels. The print's creation involved collaboration too; Falda may have worked with skilled artisans, bringing their labor into the work's fabric. The etching medium allowed multiple impressions to be created. How does that replicability change our perception of the "original" artwork here, and what did that mass production represent during that period? Editor: So, it's not just about the beautiful church, but about the process of making and distributing these images and its social context. I’ll remember to think more about materials and labor! Curator: Precisely. We have to see how materials and processes shape meaning itself. That is the gift of material analysis.