Dubbelportret van twee onbekende kinderen 1890

Louis Joseph Greuse made this double portrait of two unknown children sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, using etching and engraving on paper. Look closely and you'll see the fine lines that define the forms, especially in the girl's dresses and faces. This printmaking method demands careful control and precision. The artist would have used sharp tools to cut lines into a metal plate, which then holds ink to transfer the image onto paper. The texture and weight of the paper itself also contribute to the overall effect, giving the print a tactile quality, especially when combined with the etching and engraving. Printmaking was often used to reproduce artworks and disseminate images widely. In that sense, this print speaks to the commodification of images and the burgeoning consumer culture of the time. This work blurs the boundaries between fine art and craft, reminding us that all art is made, and the methods of its making deeply inform its meaning.