Portret van schilder Claude Joseph Vernet 1824

Jean Pierre Sudre made this portrait of painter Claude Joseph Vernet in the 1800s. It's rendered in lithography, a printmaking technique that emerged in the late 18th century, allowing for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction of images. The lithographic process begins with a smooth stone or metal plate. The artist draws an image onto the surface with a greasy crayon or ink, then the stone is treated with a chemical solution that makes the image receptive to ink, and the non-image areas receptive to water. When the stone is dampened and inked, the ink adheres only to the drawn image, which can then be printed onto paper. The subtlety of the lithographic process is evident in the delicate gradations of tone and texture in the portrait. The artist's hand is palpable. Lithography democratized image-making, making art more accessible to a wider audience. It reflects the changing dynamics of artistic production and consumption in the 19th century, blurring the lines between fine art and commercial reproduction.