The Castle above the Meadows (Liber Studiorum, part II, plate 8) 1808

This is 'The Castle above the Meadows', an etching made by J.M.W. Turner as part of his 'Liber Studiorum' series. Turner employed etching, a printmaking technique where a metal plate is coated with wax, the design is scratched into the wax, and then acid is applied to bite into the exposed metal, creating lines that hold ink. The quality of the etched line dictates the image. See how the density of the lines models the forms of the trees, the castle, and the figures in the foreground, giving texture to the landscape. Turner was deeply engaged with the industrial processes of his time; he lived through the start of industrialism. Printmaking was a process that allowed the wide distribution of images and information, and etching allowed Turner to replicate his artworks and sell them to a wider audience. Thinking about the labor of the printmaker, from the preparation of the plate to the final print, reminds us that art is not just about the image, but about the work and context that produces it.