Meisje in een stormachtige tuin 1844

Adolphe Mouilleron made this print, "Meisje in een stormachtige tuin" using etching, a printmaking technique that relies on corrosive action to incise an image into a metal plate. The stark contrasts and fine detail are born out of the painstaking work involved in covering the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. Mouilleron then scratched away the areas he wanted to appear dark in the final print. Dipping the plate in acid then ate away at the exposed metal, creating recessed lines. This demanding process required skill and control of the materials, as well as time; the longer the plate was immersed, the deeper the lines would become, influencing the richness of the tones. The stark atmospheric results capture the vulnerability of the young girl in the ominous weather, while also evidencing the etcher's own labor, registering his decisions through the traces of his hand. Understanding the technical skill and the many hours of work poured into this etching challenges distinctions between art and craft.