Rijtuigen op het Buitenhof c. 1896

This print, "Rijtuigen op het Buitenhof" or "Carriages in the Buitenhof" was made by Willem de Zwart, using etching. It’s a process that begins with a metal plate, coated with a waxy ground. The artist scratches an image into this ground, exposing the metal, which is then submerged in acid. The acid bites away at the exposed lines, creating grooves. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, it’s pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The result is a network of fine, deliberate lines, which here capture a sense of bustling commerce, and the status associated with the horse-drawn carriage. The linear quality gives the scene a sense of immediacy, as if quickly captured on the spot. The image is small, but suggestive of a whole world of social and economic activity. Consider how the artist has used a labor-intensive process to depict other forms of labor and leisure, prompting us to think about the unseen hands that built those carriages, and the social structures they represent. The artistry lies not just in the image, but in the intricate process of its making.