Leeuwen met een welp 1866 - 1910

Armand Heins created this etching, 'Lion with a Cub,' using a metal plate and acid. This is a print, an artwork made to be reproduced many times. The image is brought into being through labor-intensive, indirect processes. Heins would have painstakingly drawn the image on the plate with a needle, then bathed it in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. Ink is then forced into these tiny grooves, and the image is transferred to paper through immense pressure. Consider the social context: Prints like this made art accessible to a wider audience, beyond the elite who could afford unique paintings. The marks are like those of a pen or pencil, but the character of the etching creates a hazy atmospheric effect. This was a deliberate aesthetic choice, designed to emphasize atmosphere over fine detail. Ultimately, understanding the labor and techniques involved in printmaking helps us appreciate its unique appeal and challenges the traditional hierarchy between "high" art and more accessible forms of image-making.