Album met voorstellingen van de vier evangelisten 1562 - 1799

Editor: So, this is an album of prints called "Album met voorstellingen van de vier evangelisten," made between 1562 and 1799, by Philips Galle. It's made using print on paper, specifically albumen prints, at the Rijksmuseum. I find the texture of the paper itself almost as interesting as what's printed on it – it speaks of age and handling. What do you see in this work, Professor? Curator: The very construction of this album, the conscious assemblage of prints on paper, strikes me as the core of its artistic merit. The deliberate sequencing, if we could ascertain it, would unlock layers of meaning. Editor: Do you mean the order the prints are placed in? I hadn’t considered that. Curator: Precisely. What organizing principles can we deduce from the material arrangement alone? Consider the implications of the paper's aging, its inherent semiotic value. Discoloration, foxing – do they contribute to or detract from the composition? Editor: That's a really good point. So the discolouration kind of adds to the meaning by telling its age, or even, I guess, what kind of environmental conditions it’s been through? Curator: Precisely. The physical degradation becomes a part of its language, adding new dimensions to the original image itself. Editor: Wow. It seems I have a lot to learn. Thanks. I didn't notice all of that to begin with. Curator: Likewise. It’s these conversations that deepen our own readings of art.