Monsignor Pie, Bishop of Poitiers 1879

Claude-Ferdinand Gaillard made this print of Monsignor Pie, Bishop of Poitiers, using the technique of etching. Look closely, and you can see how the image is built from countless tiny lines incised into a metal plate. The artist would have painstakingly drawn these lines with a sharp needle, then bathed the plate in acid, which bites into the exposed metal. The plate is then inked, and the ink caught in these tiny furrows. Finally, it’s pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The fineness of the lines, and the subtle gradations of tone, speak to Gaillard’s extraordinary skill. He’s able to capture the texture of the Bishop’s robes, and the soft light on his face, with remarkable fidelity. Etching, as a medium, allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images, and the distribution of knowledge and ideas. In this case, it immortalizes the Bishop, but also demonstrates the skill and labor of the artist, making visible the means of its own production. Paying attention to materials, to the processes of making, and to the social context in which objects are created, helps us understand more fully the meaning of an artwork.