Neptun mit seinem Gespann sowie Dädalus und der Fall des Ikarus 

Editor: So this drawing is titled "Neptune with his Entourage, and Daedalus and the Fall of Icarus" by Antonio Carracci. It looks like ink on paper, right? There's so much going on - it feels dynamic. What catches your eye the most in this piece? Curator: The process. Look at the frantic lines. It speaks of rapid execution. Notice the repetitive use of hatching to create shading, suggesting a mass production sensibility of the 17th century workshops. How do you think the mass production of paper, affordable ink influenced the artist’s labor? Editor: That's interesting; I hadn’t thought about the materials influencing the creation like that. The rough quality almost suggests it's a sketch. Curator: Precisely. The perceived ‘roughness’ might reflect not just artistic style but also the economic realities shaping artistic labor. It challenges the traditional boundaries between high art and craft. Could this sketch function as a commodity in itself or was it simply a preliminary step in a longer production cycle? Editor: So, thinking about it as a commodity… Were these drawings traded or sold, like miniature artworks? Curator: That’s key. How was it valued then, and how *do* we value it today? Does knowing it might have been produced in a workshop with commercial intent alter our appreciation of Carracci’s artistry? The availability of the paper as material allows these drawings. Editor: Wow, seeing it that way really changes how I think about the image, and the artist's role. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, materiality gives artworks cultural meanings.