Til dans 1862

Adolph Kittendorff created this print, called ‘Til dans’, with etching, a process that uses acid to incise lines into a metal plate. The image is built from a multitude of thin lines, creating areas of tone and shadow. Etching had a fascinating social history. On the one hand, it was used by masters like Rembrandt to produce works of the highest artistic ambition. On the other, it was a reproductive technique, used to disseminate images widely. As the print market expanded, skilled etchers were very much in demand. In this particular image, we see the potential for intimacy that etching offers, and we can almost feel the artist's hand as he created the image. It depicts a genre scene, with the slightly awkward man on the right set to be the woman's dance partner. It makes you wonder: was Kittendorff making a comment on social graces, or perhaps the lack thereof? However you choose to interpret it, this print reminds us that art is always made by human hands, with tools and processes that have their own history.