Fagot-makers (Les faiseurs de fagots) 

Alphonse Legros made this print, "Fagot-makers," using etching, an intaglio printmaking technique. Lines are incised into a metal plate, and when the plate is inked, the ink is held in these lines. The material influence here lies in the nature of the etched line itself, with cross-hatching and fine strokes creating a sense of volume and light. But for me, the real interest lies in the subject: the labor of gathering and bundling wood. The image speaks volumes about the way that people have always worked to wrest resources from the natural world. The figures are shown in the midst of a hardscrabble existence, their postures suggesting the physical demands of their labor. Legros reminds us that the making of art is always entwined with the making of a living. Appreciating the skill and labor involved in both printmaking and the depicted work of gathering wood underscores the equal value of craft and fine arts.