Landschap met boerderij 1832

This landscape with a farm, or Landschap met boerderij, was etched by Paulus Lauters in the 19th century. He used a metal plate covered with a waxy ground. The design was then scratched into the ground, exposing the metal, and the plate submerged in acid. The acid bit into the exposed lines, creating an image that when inked, and pressed onto paper, reveals this scene. The marks Lauters made determined everything - the density of the lines building up the shadows, the delicacy defining the trees, the sky, the textures of the thatched roof, and even the field in the foreground. Notice how the hatching suggests the hard work of tilling the soil. Lauters gives us an insight into the labor-intensive process of farming. While seemingly a straightforward representation, the print embodies skilled handwork. Lauters transformed an industrial process into an intimate portrayal of rural life, bridging the gap between craft and fine art.