Dimensions: plate: 6 x 7 9/16 in. (15.3 x 19.2 cm) sheet: 6 5/16 x 7 7/8 in. (16 x 20 cm) sheet: 8 1/2 x 11 in. (21.6 x 28 cm)
Copyright: Public Domain
Dirck Stoop made this print, "Horse Bound to a Feeding Trough," using etching, a printmaking technique that democratized image production. The image is defined by incised lines and marks into a metal plate, then submerged in acid. We can consider printmaking as a craft tradition, and the labor that went into it: from the initial drawing and design, to the production of the matrix and the physical act of printing itself. Printmaking had a significant influence on visual culture, changing how images were disseminated and consumed, and shaping the development of artistic styles and movements. Stoop’s image invites us to consider the relationship between humans and animals in agricultural labor. The horse stands passively, its head lowered in exhaustion, while the feeding trough implies repetitive work. The stark lines of the etching capture the rough textures of the horse’s coat, the trough, and the surrounding landscape, emphasizing the material realities of rural life. It reminds us that even the humblest of images, can be understood as a material document of labor and lived experience.
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