Pont de la Tournelle in Parijs 1898

Pieter Dupont made this print of the Pont de la Tournelle in Paris using a metal plate. Dupont has scraped and burnished the metal to create this image of a bridge over the river. The hazy, atmospheric effect is characteristic of this subtractive process, where the artist works to remove material, rather than add it. The linear strokes evoke the relentless, repetitive labor needed to make such a large plate, and to then print it. This was a technique that developed in tandem with industrialization; as images were increasingly mechanically reproduced, so too were the means of their creation. There’s a strange tension here, between the skilled hand of the artist, and the implicit presence of the machine. This print asks us to consider the relationship between art, labor, and the rise of mechanical reproduction. By focusing on process and materiality, we gain a deeper appreciation for the artwork's significance, and challenge the conventional distinction between fine art and craft.