Saint Luke 1518

Agostino Veneziano created this print of Saint Luke sometime between 1514 and 1536. He used a technique called engraving to create the image on a copper plate. Engraving is an incisive process. The artist uses a tool called a burin to physically cut lines into the metal. The depth of the cut determines how much ink it will hold, and therefore the darkness of the line when printed. The engraver must have complete mastery over the tool, as every mark is permanent. Look closely and you can see the subtle gradations achieved through this process. Beyond the skill involved, think about the time required to produce this image. Each line represents focused labor. Though prints like this one were relatively affordable, they still carried a sense of value, both artistic and economic. Today, we might consider how digital reproduction has changed our relationship to images, making them ubiquitous, yet also devaluing them as crafted objects. This print reminds us of the labor and skill involved in image-making before the age of mechanical reproduction.