Snowy Orchard with Birds c. 1882 - 1884

Willem Witsen made this etching of a snowy orchard with birds. Printmaking is a fascinating process, where the artist doesn't directly create the image you see. Witsen would have used sharp tools to incise lines into a metal plate, building up the composition bit by bit. The plate is then inked, and the ink trapped in those lines is transferred to paper under immense pressure. Here, the stark contrast of the black ink against the white paper creates the feeling of a cold, still winter day. Notice how the bare branches of the trees are rendered with fine lines, while the snow-covered ground is suggested with a more textured approach. This isn’t just a picture; it’s a record of skilled labor, of the artist’s hand carefully working the metal, and of the printing process itself. Thinking about this, we can appreciate how printmaking, as a reproducible medium, democratizes art. It also ties it to the wider world of industrial production. Looking closely at the materials and the making opens up a whole new way of seeing, beyond just the image itself.