Hengelaars bij een rivier 1756 - 1817

Louis Bernard Coclers made this print of anglers by a river using etching, a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid to hold ink. The method influences everything about the image; the intricate network of lines creates a soft, almost hazy atmosphere, very different to the hard edges and contrasts that engraving might offer. Etching enabled Coclers to build up tone gradually, creating areas of light and shade that suggest the time of day and the changing weather. The labor involved in creating an etching is considerable: the plate must be carefully prepared, the design meticulously etched, and then printed. But unlike painting, this is a process capable of producing multiples. This meant that Coclers’s image could be widely distributed, reaching a broad audience and building his reputation beyond the realm of painting. It challenges our assumptions about value and artistic labor, and reminds us that even seemingly simple images can be the result of complex processes and social contexts.