Door dromen geplaagde slaper 1685 - 1689

Editor: Here we have Gerard de Lairesse's "Door dromen geplaagde slaper", made between 1685 and 1689, using engraving. The detail is amazing, but there’s also a lot going on. It has quite a theatrical mood, like a stage setting. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What's immediately striking is the labor-intensive process of engraving itself. Look at the sheer number of lines required to build up tone and texture. How does that production influence the narrative? Editor: I suppose it makes it more accessible, like a widely distributed print rather than a unique painting? Curator: Precisely. Engravings democratized images, allowing wider audiences to engage with these allegorical scenes. But what does that accessibility say about the themes themselves – sleep, dreams, fear? Editor: That's a good question. The materiality is allowing for distribution but also commenting on the accessibility and anxieties. Like fears aren’t limited by class or geography. Curator: Exactly. The choice of engraving might imply that these anxieties are a shared societal product, something manufactured and consumed. Editor: That's fascinating. I never considered how the medium itself shapes the message. Curator: Thinking about materiality, consider the economics surrounding its production and consumption of art like this at this time. Editor: Okay. I'll look further into those connections when thinking about this work. Thanks for expanding my viewpoint. Curator: It's essential to consider how artists leverage materiality and technology for meaning. It adds new dimensions to understanding artistic creation and societal consumption.