Optocht van de scheepstimmerlieden te Rotterdam, 1788 1788

Gerrit Groenewegen created this print in 1788 to depict the ship carpenters' parade in Rotterdam. The print was produced using etching and engraving. These are processes where lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. It is a repeatable process, ideally suited to the documentation of a public event. Look closely, and you see the incredible detail achieved. The burins and needles used to create the print were tools controlled by hand, but wielded with precision. The subject matter and the making are tightly linked here. The print shows the labor of Rotterdam's shipbuilders, their contribution to the mercantile engine of the Dutch Republic. The print itself is evidence of another kind of work - the skilled labor of the printmaker, whose work also contributed to the economic life of the city. This image reminds us that all art has a point of origin in human effort, and it asks us to consider the hierarchies that separate fine art from skilled trades.