Landschap met figuren en pakezel 1839 - 1841

Paulus Lauters made this landscape with figures and pack animal as a lithograph, a printmaking technique that relies on the chemical repulsion between oil and water. The image begins with a smooth stone; the artist then draws on the surface with a greasy crayon. The stone is treated with chemicals, so that only the drawn areas will attract ink. The lithographic stone itself is fascinating, quarried from specific locations, then ground perfectly flat. Lauters was a master of this medium, coaxing a remarkable range of tones from the stone, from velvety blacks to hazy greys. Look closely, and you'll notice the minute details. It’s a real skill to evoke such a panoramic view with such modest means. In its time, lithography democratized image-making, allowing for relatively quick and inexpensive reproductions. Lauters’s choice of this medium reflects a shift in artmaking, where skill and craft met the demands of a rapidly changing, industrializing society. The labour-intensive process becomes art itself, a testament to the artist's touch in an age of mechanical reproduction.