Thomas Jacobsz Haaring the Younger 1656

Editor: So, here we have Rembrandt van Rijn's 1656 engraving, "Thomas Jacobsz Haaring the Younger." It’s a pretty dark piece, and you can really see the textures of the engraving process. What stands out to you in this work? Curator: The density of the engraving and the materiality of the ink are fascinating. How does the artist build such intricate tonal variation through the labor of carving and the properties of the metal plate? What about the paper itself - consider the fibers, the weight, the way it accepts the ink. And let’s think about the economic value embedded here. An original Rembrandt print held a different social status than a quickly reproduced mass image even then, and today. Editor: So it’s not just about the image itself, but about the process of making it, the value of the materials, and how people see those materials? Curator: Precisely! Look at the distribution of labor inherent in printmaking at this time – from the making of the paper, to the grinding of ink, to the work of the artist incising the plate – what stories can this object tell us about 17th century society and the way value was created and circulated? Consider the artist’s skill as labor itself. Editor: I never thought of it that way before, thinking about all the different crafts that were needed. Curator: Think about the social networks too: the patron who might have commissioned this, the tradesmen who sold it, the collector who valued it and preserved it. Every piece embodies countless hours of production, all connected to material conditions. Editor: It's really incredible to think about art in that way! The labor, the economics... it gives me a whole new level of appreciation. Curator: Absolutely. Focusing on those material elements allows us to connect art directly to lived experience, and see the broader network of human interaction behind it.