Studies van lichamen 1682 - 1706

Jean Lepautre created this print, Studies van lichamen, using etching techniques. This image shows dismembered bodies in different poses, including arms, torsos, and a bearded man. Etching involves covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant layer called a 'ground', upon which the artist scratches their design. When the plate is dipped in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves in the metal. The deeper the grooves, the more ink they hold, and the darker the printed line will be. The final print is created by inking the plate and pressing it onto paper. Lepautre was a prolific and influential printmaker, and these studies were used in workshops to instruct artists and artisans in the depiction of the human form. Consider how the printmaking process itself—the labor-intensive scratching, biting, and pressing—mirrors the effort required to master the human body through artistic practice. It collapses the distinction between mechanical reproduction and creative production.