The Avaricious 

Editor: This engraving, titled "The Avaricious," by Gustave Dore, really strikes me. The mass of prostrate figures seems to stretch into the distance, overseen by these draped figures. It feels… oppressive. What are your initial thoughts on this piece? Curator: Well, considering this piece through a materialist lens, it’s interesting to think about the production of such a work. An engraving like this speaks to the history of reproductive technologies, of mass dissemination. Dore wasn't just creating art, but illustrations, functioning within a specific economic and social structure. It's interesting how that affects the reading, isn't it? The figures are almost like manufactured goods themselves, lacking individual agency, victims of avarice perhaps. Editor: That’s a compelling point about "manufactured goods.” Could the medium itself, engraving, be a comment on the dehumanizing aspect of greed and wealth accumulation? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the labor involved in producing these engravings. The meticulous work, the almost industrial scale necessary to produce them in quantity…It mirrors the very system of production and consumption the image critiques. And consider where these images circulated – likely in printed books accessible to a growing reading public, potentially instigating discourse about morality, class and production of this nature. How does thinking about it this way shift your initial impression? Editor: It does, actually. I was so focused on the "mood" that I neglected to think about *how* that mood was achieved through this particular method and context. So the physical act of creating the art mirrors the soul-crushing nature of avarice? Curator: Precisely. The work's power lies not just in its allegorical representation, but also in its participation within a broader system of production. Editor: I’ll never look at an engraving the same way again! Curator: And hopefully, the piece itself, avarice, as well.