Cowherd, at Water's Edge 1890

Camille Pissarro made this etching, "Cowherd, at Water's Edge," using a metal plate, likely copper or zinc, and acid. The fine, dark lines you see are the result of the artist drawing into a waxy ground, then immersing the plate in acid, which bites into the exposed metal. The image has a direct, almost sketched quality. Pissarro has captured a tranquil scene of rural labor; a young cowherd takes rest as her cattle drink. The density of the lines create tone and texture, the etched lines giving form to the figures and the landscape. But there’s also a social dimension. Printmaking allowed for the wider distribution of images, bringing scenes of rural life to an urban audience increasingly distanced from agricultural labor. Pissarro, with his anarchist sympathies, no doubt saw this as a way to ennoble the working class, and perhaps even critique the inequalities of industrializing France. By considering the processes and the social context of Pissarro's print, we gain a deeper understanding of its artistic and cultural significance.