Het laden van een hooiwagen 1778 - 1830

Johan Jakob Biedermann made this etching, *Het laden van een hooiwagen*, using metal plate and acid. It is a traditional process, and the image it yields has a direct relationship to the amount of physical labor involved in its making. Look closely, and you will see the artist's hand in every line. Each one was carefully etched into the metal, using acid to bite the image into the surface. Ink was then applied and wiped, leaving it only in the etched lines, before being printed onto paper. It seems right, somehow, that the image bears witness to the laborious work of farmers, too. They are shown collecting, lifting, and loading hay onto a wagon. Their physical effort is mirrored in the artist's own engagement with the materials of his craft. By considering both the subject and the process of this artwork, we can appreciate the labor involved in its production and the connections between art, work, and everyday life. It encourages us to rethink the value of different kinds of making.