Gezicht op de Pont Saint-Michel in Parijs 1865 - 1866

Maxime Lalanne created this print of the Pont Saint-Michel in Paris, using a technique called etching. It’s an intaglio process, where the artist covers a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. He then draws through the ground, exposing the metal. When the plate is submerged in acid, it bites into the metal where it’s exposed, creating recessed lines. The plate is then inked, the surface wiped clean, and the print is made by pressing paper against the plate, drawing the ink from the etched lines. The quality of the line in etching is so unique. The way it is able to capture a specific moment of the ever-changing urban landscape. The city that could be easily reproduced and distributed on an industrial scale. Looking at the details, Lalanne shows us how this traditional technique can be used to record the transformations brought about by industrialization. In doing so, it makes us reconsider the distinctions we often draw between fine art and more quotidian forms of production.