Plate III 18th-19th century

Editor: So, this is "Plate III" by Adrian Zingg. There’s no date listed, but it's an etching, and it looks quite small. What strikes me is the texture – how did he achieve such delicate detail? What do you see in terms of the means of production? Curator: The etching process itself involves labor-intensive steps—the biting of the plate with acid, the controlled application of ink, and the pressure exerted during printing. Consider how the availability and cost of materials, like copper plates and specialized tools, influenced the accessibility of printmaking as a profession and how that affected the development of the art market at the time. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about how the materials themselves would shape the art. Curator: Exactly. The materiality and the production process are never neutral. It's all about how artists like Zingg negotiated those constraints. Editor: Thanks, I'll definitely be looking at art through a new lens from now on!