Landschap met portico en rustende herders met vee aan rivieroever Possibly 1774

Richard Earlom made this print, Landschap met portico en rustende herders met vee aan rivieroever, or Landscape with portico and resting shepherds with cattle on a riverbank, in 1776, using a technique called mezzotint. Mezzotint is an intaglio printmaking process, like etching or engraving, but it’s all about tone. The plate is roughened evenly to hold ink, then areas are burnished smooth to create lighter values. It’s painstaking work, a real labor of love. Notice how the texture of the mezzotint gives the image a soft, almost dreamy quality. The velvety blacks and subtle gradations of light create a sense of atmosphere, enveloping the viewer in the scene. Earlom wasn’t just a master of technique; he was also deeply engaged with the artistic trends of his time. The print is after Claude Lorrain, the 17th-century landscape painter. By translating Claude’s paintings into print, Earlom made them accessible to a wider audience. It’s a reminder that even seemingly traditional art forms can be deeply embedded in the social and economic realities of their time. The printmaking processes is a collaborative labor between the artist, Earlom, and the publisher, John Boydell, who put the print into circulation.