Meisje achter de piano 1875 - 1913

This is 'Meisje achter de piano’ by Elisa Weiler, made with etching on paper. Weiler has employed a printmaking technique that would have been very familiar in her time. Etching involves covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant coating, scratching an image into the coating, and then bathing the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed metal, creating lines that hold ink. It’s a sophisticated process, with a long history stretching back to the Middle Ages. The subtle shading and fine details of the composition speak to Weiler's mastery of this process. The tonal range of the print depends on the time the plate is left in the acid. The longer the plate remains, the deeper and darker the etched lines will become. The resulting image on paper has a delicate quality. Weiler brings a very traditional artistic process to bear on an intimate domestic scene. She asks us to consider the relationship between the world of art, and the more private realm of home and family.