Landschap halverwege Overveen 1690

This print, Landschap halverwege Overveen, was made anonymously, using a technique called etching. In etching, a metal plate is coated with a waxy substance, and then the artist scratches an image into the wax, exposing the metal beneath. Acid is then applied, eating away at the exposed lines. When the wax is removed, the plate can be inked and printed. The character of line in an etching is very distinctive. Here, the crisp marks create a detailed image of daily life, trees, a building and even clouds rendered by the etcher with the same clarity. The print medium was intimately tied to the rise of a merchant class with money to spend on art but without the space for giant paintings. The format democratized artmaking, allowing images to circulate more widely than ever before. And, of course, it gave skilled artists a way to make a living. Looking closely reveals the labour, time, and skill involved in etching, reminding us that artmaking is work.