Venus en Adonis before 1903

Editor: This is *Venus and Adonis*, an etching and engraving print made before 1903, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. I'm immediately struck by the tonality of the work, so much texture! What elements do you find most compelling in terms of materials and methods? Curator: As a materialist, I am interested in what printmaking reveals about art's production and dissemination in society. The etching and engraving techniques speak to the labour-intensive processes and skill involved. Consider how prints democratised art, enabling broader consumption of mythological scenes previously accessible only to the wealthy. This wasn't some grand unique painting. How do the multiple stages of production involved challenge our idea of the "artist" as an individual genius? Editor: That's a really interesting point! It does make you consider the whole process, rather than just a single artist's inspiration. But if we're looking at it as a product, can we really appreciate the art and emotion within? Curator: I think we *have* to; dismissing it would imply that artistic or cultural expression is not work, not labour. Look closer at the figure of Venus and Adonis. How is their presentation impacted by these techniques, as compared to say, in painting? Editor: Seeing it as a print, maybe their idealised forms become less about individual beauty and more about mass-produced ideals of beauty… a prototype. It also reminds me of a photograph being reproduced from a negative. It changes everything, in the best way! Curator: Exactly. Understanding the process, and how that relates to Baroque sensibilities regarding subject matter is important. We need to challenge established ideas regarding art and value and bring craft to the forefront! Editor: Absolutely! I hadn't thought about it that way, this gives me a lot to think about.