Koe liggend bij hek c. 1657 - 1761

Editor: So this etching, "Cow Lying by a Fence" by Marcus de Bye, from around the mid-17th to early 18th century, shows a very large cow just… resting. It’s interesting how much detail he puts into the animal, using just lines. What stands out to you when you look at this piece? Curator: What grabs me is how de Bye’s use of etching flattens and distributes labour across materials, challenging notions of high art. Here’s a piece meant for broad distribution. An image produced using acids, copper, and printing presses. What were the material conditions in the Dutch Republic at that time that fostered this type of production and, ultimately, consumption of imagery? Editor: That’s interesting. I was just thinking about it as a kind of pastoral scene, but you're right, it speaks to broader changes in the Dutch Republic. Were these kinds of images popular with a specific segment of the population? Curator: Precisely. Who could afford prints? What was the role of the burgeoning merchant class in fostering this kind of art production? Consider the etcher as a producer in this growing economy and how the material of the artwork is affected by the labor and cost that comes with it. How does the ease of replication democratize the distribution of images? Editor: So, instead of just seeing a cow in a field, we’re really looking at the output of a complex network of materials and economic factors. Curator: Exactly. De Bye’s etching makes me consider the socio-economic conditions of art creation and consumption. It connects what we see with how it was made, distributed, and, ultimately, consumed within its society. Editor: That’s a much more insightful way to approach this deceptively simple image! I hadn't considered how the materials themselves tell a story. Curator: Paying attention to materials can give you so much to consider. There are plenty of layers here to explore and continue learning!