Allegorische voorstelling over de Schilderkunst 1753 - 1757

Curator: This is "Allegorische voorstelling over de Schilderkunst," or "Allegorical Representation of Painting," an engraving made by Noël Le Mire between 1753 and 1757. It currently resides at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It feels, even at first glance, theatrical. Look at all those cherubic figures scrambling to capture the same image, the winged trumpeter sounding a glorious note! The engraver certainly captures a rather pompous feeling. Curator: Precisely! Allegory was a common visual language in the Baroque era. It aimed to represent abstract ideas through symbolic figures and compositions, often reflecting the values of the patron and, by extension, the art market supporting such works. We see how the materials—engraved lines on paper—communicate concepts about creative inspiration, almost commodifying "artistic merit." Editor: Interesting! What is the painting depicted *within* the engraving itself? It looks like an allegory within the allegory... Curator: It does appear to be. Note the use of linear precision here, common to engravings of this era and the choice of a black and white print allows for a dissemination of ideas to a broader market, not necessarily affluent collectors of unique paintings. Editor: Engraving is, in a sense, infinitely reproducible... fascinating how its *materiality* clashes with this grandiose claim to artistic "truth" here. There’s something both amusing and touching about it. All these industrious babies... Curator: Yes, this piece definitely reveals something about 18th century values around skill, market demand and dissemination of ideas, all interwoven into this symbolic scene about... the power of painting! Editor: Thank you. It makes you ponder how the means by which art is made shapes the very meaning of its representation. Curator: Absolutely. These kinds of materialist explorations often leads me to contemplate art production then versus now.