Peasants Eating 1813 - 1894

Charles Jacque’s “Peasants Eating” is a small print on paper, made using a process called etching. The image is created by drawing into a waxy ground on a metal plate, then bathing it in acid, which bites away the exposed lines. The resulting fine, precise lines, and their multiplication through hatching, create the tonal range in this image of rural life. This printmaking method allowed for the relatively quick reproduction of images, fitting for a time of growing literacy and visual culture. Jacque has created an intimate scene; the workers are captured in a moment of respite, but their rough hands and simple surroundings speak of daily labor. The texture of the image itself, created by the etching process, echoes the rough, unpretentious reality of the scene. Consider the skills involved in both farming and printmaking, and how these traditions are here brought together. By attending to these intersections of material and making, we can appreciate the depth of meaning in this modest artwork, moving beyond conventional notions of art.