Staande, naakte vrouw met handen op de rug 1836 - 1931

This delicate print of a standing nude, with her hands clasped behind her back, was made by Philippus de Groot, who was born in 1826. It’s an etching, which means that the artist would have drawn through a waxy ground applied to a metal plate, exposing the metal, then bathed the plate in acid, which bites into the lines. Ink is then applied into these lines and the plate is pressed onto paper. De Groot’s hatching and cross-hatching create a range of light and shadow across the figure. The sense of volume is very effective, and is all the more remarkable considering that we are only seeing the results of incised lines. You might think of etching as a kind of proto-photographic process, as the original image on the plate can be editioned. It is also a process that values the skilled hand, which controls both the line and the chemical processes by which it is achieved. As this print shows, it's a process capable of great nuance.