Meisje geeft een kus op de wang van een meisje gezeten in een hoge stoel 1869

This print by Albrecht de Vriendt captures a tender moment between two girls. It’s made using etching, a printmaking technique dependent on acid to bite into a metal plate, traditionally copper or zinc. Look closely and you can see the lines are not smooth but made up of tiny dots and dashes. This is how the etcher builds up tone and texture. The process begins with coating the metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. The artist then draws through this coating with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. The depth of these grooves determines how much ink they hold, and thus how dark they appear when printed. This allows for a wide range of tonal variation, lending the scene its intimate, almost photographic quality. The nature of the etching process, with its reliance on skilled handwork and chemical action, results in a delicate balance between control and chance. It's a reminder that every print carries the mark of the maker and the materials.