Landschap met vier figuren 1664 - 1709

Gerard Hoet created this landscape scene with figures using etching, a printmaking technique, sometime before his death in 1733. The image is made by covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. The artist then scratches an image into this coating, exposing the metal underneath. When acid is applied, it bites into the exposed metal, creating recessed lines. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these lines, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the image. Notice the fineness of the lines, and the detail achieved through hatching and cross-hatching. The landscape has a serene, almost classical quality. The figures seem posed in an almost theatrical manner, part of the scenography. This print represents a very particular mode of production; the artist as both designer and skilled maker, creating images for a growing market of collectors. It’s a world away from both unique works of art, and mass-produced imagery. Hoet’s landscape invites us to consider this context of skilled labor and artistic intention.