Logica 1592

This print, titled "Logica", was made anonymously using the intaglio technique. Look closely, and you'll see it's a network of fine lines incised into a metal plate, likely copper. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to manually carve the image into the plate, a labor-intensive process demanding precision and skill. The subject matter, an allegory of logic, reflects the intellectual climate of the time, yet the mode of production speaks to a different kind of labor. The engraver's craft was essential for disseminating knowledge and ideas, but often remained unacknowledged. The very act of engraving, transforming metal into a matrix for reproduction, highlights the connection between artistic skill and the burgeoning print culture. Consider the amount of work involved in this production process, and how prints like this democratized access to imagery, even as the hand of the artist-craftsman faded into the background. It reminds us that even the most conceptual of images is rooted in material practice.