Swans at Stagnant Water 1888 - 1890

Berthe Morisot’s “Swans at Stagnant Water” is an etching, a printmaking process that demands careful labor. The artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, then drawn through it with a needle to expose the metal beneath. Immersing the plate in acid then bites away at those lines, creating grooves that hold ink. What’s remarkable here is how Morisot coaxes a sense of immediacy from this indirect method. Notice how the delicate lines, built up through a controlled, industrial process, almost mimic the fleeting quality of a sketch. This tension between the medium's inherent structure and the artwork's apparent spontaneity is key to the image’s effect. The etching process itself invites a comparison to other forms of industrial production, where meticulous, repetitive actions ultimately yield a multiplied result. In this case, however, we are reminded of the artist’s hand and eye, which transform a commercial technique into an expressive language. It encourages us to rethink traditional hierarchies of art, craft, and labor.