Januari: winterlandschap met schaatsers 1783

This print, "Januari: winterlandschap met schaatsers," was made by Johannes Janson sometime in the 18th century, using etching. Janson would have coated a copper plate with wax, then scratched away lines to expose the metal, before bathing the whole thing in acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves that hold ink. It’s a fairly indirect way of drawing – rather like using a very fine, sharp chisel. Look closely, and you’ll see the way Janson used many tiny parallel lines to create shade and volume. It is labor intensive. The result is an image with a particular kind of graphic clarity. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive and could be widely circulated. They provided people with access to imagery and ideas, contributing to a shared visual culture. More than just a pretty picture, this print reflects the social and economic dynamics of its time, and the democratization of art through reproducible media.