Sandbagger an der Elbe 1908

This print, "Sandbagger an der Elbe", was made by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner using etching, a process dating back to the Middle Ages. The image begins with the application of a waxy ground to a metal plate. Kirchner then scratched through the ground with a needle, exposing the metal. Immersing the plate in acid, he created incised lines. The ink settles into these lines, and is then transferred to paper under great pressure. Kirchner was a master of this process, and you can see how he used it here to give a snapshot of laborers working along the Elbe River. Notice the stooped figures, set against a landscape overwhelmed by industrial activity. The expressive lines evoke the hard work and physical strain involved in filling sandbags, essential for construction and flood control. Kirchner's choice of etching, with its roots in craft, underscores the dignity of labor and the importance of understanding art through its making.