Blad met dieren 1783 - 1815

Paul Reimund made this print, "Sheet with animals," around the turn of the 19th century, using an etching technique. Look closely, and you’ll see that the array of creatures, and figures too, are made up of tiny, closely-hatched lines. The artist would have painstakingly drawn these into a wax coating on a metal plate. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed metal. The more time spent in the acid bath, the deeper the lines. When printed, these lines hold ink, creating the image we see. The overall effect here is delicate, almost lace-like, which softens the menagerie on display. Reimund was likely referencing well-known bestiaries, encyclopedic compendiums of animals, real and imagined. But by using the etched line, with its inherent sense of patient labor, he gives the encyclopedic impulse a handmade, human quality. It’s this quality, a quiet reverence, that keeps this print from simply being an inventory. It’s a celebration of the natural world, made with care.