Heuvellandschap met twee mannen in rijtuig 1739 - 1740

Giuliano Giampiccoli made this landscape scene with two men in a carriage sometime in the first half of the 18th century, using etching. This printmaking method involves coating a metal plate with wax, drawing through it to expose the metal, and then immersing the plate in acid. The acid bites into the metal where it’s exposed, creating lines that hold ink. The material qualities here are all about line – the crisp, precise lines that define the forms and create a sense of depth. Look closely, and you'll see how Giampiccoli uses hatching, closely spaced parallel lines, to create areas of shadow and volume. This painstaking process speaks to the engraver’s skill and the labor involved in creating the image. But it also speaks to a wider social context. Etchings like this were often made for reproduction and distribution, allowing images and ideas to circulate more widely than ever before. In a way, it's an early form of mass media, and its rise is connected to the growth of commerce, consumerism and the increasing circulation of goods and people across the landscape.