Straatgezicht 1884

Eberhard Cornelis Rahms created this street scene using aquatint in 1884. Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, where the image is achieved by etching tones rather than lines. The plate is exposed to acid through a porous ground, resulting in a textured surface. This texture holds ink, creating tonal variations in the final print, and is often combined with other intaglio techniques like etching or engraving to add linear detail. In this print, the varying tones give the artwork a sense of depth, highlighting details in the buildings, the canal, and the figures that populate the scene. Notice the attention to texture, from the roughness of the cobbled street to the intricate patterns of the brickwork. Considering the printmaking process emphasizes the artist’s skill and time investment in each impression, blurring the lines between industrial production and handcrafted art. This reminds us that even within mechanical reproduction, the artist's hand and eye play a crucial role.