Peasant Woman Seated near a Hedge (Paysanne assise pres d'une haie) 

Alphonse Legros created this print, Paysanne assise pres d'une haie, using etching, a printmaking technique that dates back to the Middle Ages. With etching, the artist covers a metal plate with a waxy, protective ground. They then draw through this ground with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. Next, the plate is immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The longer the plate stays in the acid, the deeper the lines become, allowing for a range of tones in the final print. Here, we see the bare minimum of material, time, and labor needed to render the subject—a woman who has paused from working in the fields. The economy of line speaks volumes. The medium of etching, with its capacity for fine detail and tonal variation, serves the artist's sensitive portrayal of rural life. By valuing the labor evident in the work's making, as well as the labor it depicts, we move beyond traditional hierarchies that separate fine art from the everyday.