Crudelitas and Saevitia c. 19th century

Editor: This drawing, "Crudelitas and Saevitia" by Frederick Hollyer, depicts three faces with intense expressions. The aged paper adds to the drama. How can we interpret Hollyer's intention in rendering these emotions, from your perspective? Curator: Look at the production of emotion itself. The drawing, the paper, the very act of depicting cruelty and savagery—these are material processes. What is the social context that makes the production of such images desirable or necessary? Editor: Interesting point! So, instead of focusing on the emotions themselves, we should think about the material act of creating and consuming them? Curator: Precisely! The drawing becomes a commodity. How does the artist's labour contribute to the circulation of these ideas? Editor: I hadn't considered art's role as a material process so directly before. Curator: Reflecting on the means and modes of artistic production reveals much about the work's place in the world.