Keukeninterieur met twee kinderen 1835 - 1889

Jozef Israëls made this etching, “Kitchen Interior with Two Children,” using a metal plate, acid, and ink. Israëls, a Dutch painter known for his sympathetic depictions of working-class life, turned here to printmaking, a medium with its own distinctive qualities. The etching process begins with a metal plate, usually copper or zinc. The artist covers the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant coating, then scratches an image into the coating with a sharp needle. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are etched into the metal. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling the etched lines. The surface is wiped clean, and the image is transferred to paper under high pressure. The resulting print has a unique character. The etched lines are slightly raised, creating a velvety texture. The quality of line can vary from delicate and precise to bold and expressive, depending on the depth and width of the etched lines. The process is labor-intensive, reflecting the lives of the children depicted. It asks us to see how images are made as part of a larger social world.