Staande man gekleed voor het schermen, met drie degens onder zijn arm 1778 - 1838

This print of a fencing master, made by Anthonie van den Bos in the late 1700s or early 1800s, is an etching. The artist would have covered a copper plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then drawn his composition with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. Immersing the plate in acid would bite away the exposed lines, incising the image into the surface. The character in the print is defined by a series of linear marks. Look closely, and you can see that these marks vary in weight and intensity. In areas where the artist wanted deeper blacks and more pronounced shadows, he would have likely re-bitten the plate. Van den Bos has paid close attention to the textures and the fall of light on the figure’s clothing, hat, and boots. The quality of line suggests a briskness of execution, as though the artist captured the figure in motion. Ultimately, the printmaking process enables the wide distribution of imagery. It democratizes access to art, spreading images and ideas further than a unique painting ever could.