Donne e cavalli 

This is Renato Guttuso's "Donne e cavalli," and it was made with the technique of etching. Etching has a long history, dating back to the middle ages, and involves using acid to cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. Here, the image seems spontaneously drawn. But don't be fooled. Achieving this effect through etching requires great skill. There's the labor of preparing the metal plate, applying a resist, carefully incising lines into the surface, immersing it in acid, and finally, inking and printing. The blurry lines, the deep blacks, the stark white of the page, all these effects come directly from the properties of the materials and processes used. Thinking about the relationship between the artist's hand, the etching needle, the corrosive acid, and the printing press can open up to a deeper understanding of the image itself. This allows us to appreciate the rich cultural and historical context embedded in the work.