Annibale Carracci 1761

Curator: This is Francesco Bartolozzi's rendering of "The Portrait of Annibale Carracci Drawn by himself," held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There’s a captivating intensity in his gaze, almost confrontational given its intimate scale. Curator: Bartolozzi, active in the late 18th century, was deeply involved in popularizing Italian art through printmaking, shaping its reception among wider audiences. Editor: I'm intrigued by the notion of self-representation here, the way Carracci’s image is mediated, filtered through Bartolozzi’s interpretation. It makes me wonder about the politics of portraiture. Curator: Indeed, and how the print medium itself democratized access, changing the art world. It allowed for the distribution of artistic personas, like Carracci's. Editor: Ultimately, this piece makes me consider how identity is constructed and disseminated through artistic reproduction. Curator: A fitting reflection. It reminds us of the collaborative nature of art history.