Old Peasant Couple in Cottage n.d.

This is an etching by Adriaen van Ostade, and while it lacks color, the quality of the lines and the overall tonal range give it great depth. Etching is a printmaking technique which relies on acid to create lines in a metal plate, in this case likely copper. A plate is covered with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. Then, the artist scratches an image into the ground with a needle, exposing the metal. The plate is dipped in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The longer the plate stays in the acid, the deeper the lines become. After the ground is removed, the plate is inked, and then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Damp paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print. This print, like many of Ostade’s works, depicts scenes from everyday peasant life. But the labor involved in the etching process, the skilled hand of the artist, elevates the subject matter. It invites us to reflect on the labouring classes and the economic realities of 17th-century Holland, and the role of the printmaker in capturing this.