The People Stoning Adoram c. 1579

Editor: Here we have "The People Stoning Adoram" by Hans Collaert the Elder. It’s an engraving on a large sheet of paper and the scene is intensely violent. What do you see in this piece, considering its materiality and creation? Curator: Let’s consider the labor involved. The printmaking process – the carving, the inking, the printing – all contribute to the dissemination of this violent scene. The very act of reproducing this stoning, making it consumable, demands scrutiny. Editor: So the act of reproducing this image becomes a social commentary? Curator: Precisely. The choice of materials, the method of reproduction, make it a manufactured event. The availability of this image implicates the viewer in the stoning itself. We must be critical of the process. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. It makes you consider the work as both an artistic piece and a cultural artifact. Curator: Exactly. The meaning resides in the materials and the means of production as much as the subject matter.