Die Zyklopenfelsen bei Sciacca 

Editor: So, this is Ludwig Metz’s "Die Zyklopenfelsen bei Sciacca," made with ink, pencil, chalk, and graphite on paper. It definitely gives off a somber, Romantic mood. What really jumps out to me is the variety of materials – the textures created with the different media are amazing. What are your thoughts on this drawing? Curator: What I find compelling here is the tension between the ‘high art’ of landscape and the almost industrial process implied by using graphite, chalk and ink. We see the means of production right there in the image, don’t we? The Romantic style softens the stark materiality, but can’t quite mask the sheer labour involved. Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't thought about labor. So, you're suggesting that even a seemingly idealized landscape like this speaks to the social conditions of its creation? Curator: Precisely! Think about where these materials come from: mines, factories, even the production of paper itself. These are all implicated in broader systems of extraction and consumption. Where was Metz exhibiting and who was the target audience? That will tell you all you need to know about why *these* materials, to depict *this* scene. Editor: The drawing’s at the Städel Museum. So probably for an upper middle class audience? To show off their worldliness, maybe? Curator: Exactly. They are consuming a picture made *of* labour *about* the land. Does seeing the image through that lens change it for you? Editor: It does, actually. It feels less like a pure expression of artistic feeling and more like a document reflecting very specific social dynamics. Thank you for this new perspective! Curator: And thank you! Considering the material reality behind even the most seemingly ethereal artwork keeps us honest as viewers.