Christus aan de geselpaal 1618 - 1655

This print, "Christus aan de geselpaal", or "Christ at the whipping post," was made by Cornelis Schut. The technique here is etching, a printmaking process done with acid. Look closely, and you can see how the artist created areas of tone using fine lines. Schut would have applied a waxy ground to a copper plate, drawn his composition with a sharp needle, and then bathed the plate in acid. The longer the acid bit into the metal, the deeper the lines, and the darker they would print. In a way, etching is the opposite of carving. Instead of taking material away, the artist allows chemistry to do the work, a kind of delegation. The image has a powerful message of the body in pain, yet depends on a painstaking process. Hopefully, considering the labor involved gives you a deeper appreciation for the final print, and helps you see the human effort involved.