Lucht 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut made this print, called ‘Lucht’, using etching, a process that involves biting lines into a metal plate with acid. Look closely, and you can see the incredible detail that this allows. The whole composition seems to flow from the process of the technique itself. Schut has layered lines upon lines, creating textures that suggest the softness of the child’s skin, and the bounty of the harvest. Consider how the etched lines evoke movement: the turning wheel, the gusts of wind, the sun’s rays. The printmaking process allowed for relatively quick reproduction and distribution, playing a key role in disseminating imagery and ideas in seventeenth-century Europe. And there is another way to think about the labor embedded in this small artwork: the labor of the farmer, tilling the earth to bring forth such abundance. Schut’s image is a reminder that all art, no matter how refined, is rooted in the material world.