Landschap met drie berken c. 1850 - 1883

Jerôme Tuyttens made this landscape with three birch trees using etching, a printmaking technique with a long and fascinating history. The scene is created by covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, the artist then scratches an image into this coating, exposing the metal. When the plate is dipped in acid, it bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these etched lines. Finally, the surface is wiped clean, and the image is transferred to paper under high pressure. What’s so interesting about this process is that each stage demands a different kind of skill and time investment. It bridges the traditional realm of fine art and the more workaday worlds of craft and industry. And when we look at the result, we should be considering not only the image itself, but also the labor and craft traditions that made it possible.