Avonturen van Don Quichot 1894 - 1959

Curator: Here we have "Avonturen van Don Quichot," dating roughly from 1894 to 1959. It’s a print held here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s fascinating; it feels almost like an early form of comics, broken down into panels. How do you interpret this work? Editor: It's got this playful, almost childlike quality, even though the story of Don Quixote is much older. Is there more to unpack from a materialist point of view? Curator: Absolutely. Consider this not just as an illustration, but as a mass-produced print. What social structures and the modes of production influenced its making? Did this imagery become accessible due to changes in printing technologies and distribution? Were there cultural shifts driving a market for affordable, narrative images? This tells us a great deal about social needs. Editor: So you are saying we shouldn't look only at who the artist was, or what "great idea" they had. Curator: Precisely! It invites inquiry into who bought it, how it was used, and how its imagery related to consumer culture at that moment in history. Editor: And thinking about those production methods, do they relate to it being called "folk art"? Curator: In a way, yes. The mass-produced nature takes it from an isolated studio setting into a network of manufacturers, distributors, and consumers. What socio-economic conditions enable its making and distribution? We need to consider how new technology, materials, and a demand from specific societal sectors were all necessary. Editor: That’s shifted my view entirely. Instead of just looking at funny drawings, I see a snapshot of society and technological innovation, reflected through inexpensive accessible materials and commercial distribution. Curator: Exactly! Focusing on material processes reveals much more about how art relates to societal developments and historical narratives, even something seemingly light-hearted like this print.