Paneel met de geboorte van Johannes de Doper naar het origineel door Albrecht Dürer before 1870

Editor: Here we have a print of "Paneel met de geboorte van Johannes de Doper naar het origineel door Albrecht Dürer," placing it before 1870. It’s an engraving at the Rijksmuseum, and I am really struck by how the figures seem to almost push out of the frame. How would you interpret this work? Curator: This piece, even as a reproduction, opens up a discussion on the economics of art production. Consider the materiality of this engraving. What does it mean to disseminate Dürer's design through printmaking? This wasn't just about replicating an image; it was about engaging in a system of mass production, impacting Dürer’s legacy through consumption and accessibility. Editor: So you’re saying that it changes the artistic intention by being reproduced? Does it challenge Dürer's original work somehow? Curator: Not challenge, necessarily, but transform. The print changes the work's context. Instead of viewing this image as solely a sacred scene from the Northern Renaissance, it encourages us to consider the labour involved in the engraving process itself and how reproducing imagery transforms the notion of authenticity and artistic value. It makes it available to more people. What does the copy enable that the original does not? Editor: I never really considered that reproductions were integral to understanding how artwork used to become popular, before the internet! Curator: Exactly. Focusing on the materials and their accessibility illuminates the process and also opens conversations about patronage and market, providing new appreciation for art's relationship to both craft and commerce. Editor: I can definitely see that. I hadn’t considered how this print serves as a historical artifact of both religious expression and material processes of its time. Curator: It is also an advertisement, a copy and an inspiration all at once.