De smalle en de brede weg 1611

Pieter Serwouters created this print, "De smalle en de brede weg," using the intaglio process of engraving. Lines were incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin. Ink was then forced into these lines, and the plate pressed against paper, transferring the image. Consider the labor involved. Each line, each figure, each detail of architecture and landscape meticulously carved by hand. The very act of creation mirrors the message of the print itself: the narrow, difficult path to salvation versus the wide, easy road to damnation. The stark contrast between light and shadow, achieved through the density and direction of the engraved lines, further emphasizes this moral dichotomy. The choice of printmaking as a medium is also significant. Prints allowed for the widespread dissemination of religious ideas in a way that paintings or sculptures could not, thus enabling social reform. It's a powerful reminder that materials and making are never neutral; they always carry meaning.