Hoofd van een jonge vrouw die aan het haar wordt getrokken 1790 - 1828

This rendering of a woman’s head, made by Henri-Guillaume Chatillon, is an intriguing example of lithography. The image is built up from countless tiny strokes, giving the hair an almost liquid appearance. Think of the labor involved: each of these marks had to be carefully placed on the lithographic stone. This was achieved by using a grease-based crayon or ink. The stone was then treated with chemicals, so that only the drawn areas would accept ink. Paper applied to the stone picked up the image, creating the print. Lithography allowed for relatively quick reproduction and wide distribution. And yet, if we look closely, we can see that the artist has lavished attention on every detail. It encourages us to reconsider the social position of the printmaker, caught between the demands of mechanical reproduction, and the desire for artistic expression.