La Sainte Famille au Repos (The Holy Family at Rest) 1839 - 1885

Rodolphe Bresdin created this print, The Holy Family at Rest, using etching, a process intimately linked to the rise of industrial capitalism. Etching involves coating a metal plate with wax, scratching an image into it, and then submerging the plate in acid, which bites away the exposed lines. This allows for incredibly fine detail, as you can see in the dense foliage and delicate figures of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus. But what's interesting here is that the matrix can be re-used to make multiple copies. It’s a mechanical process, one that lends itself to mass production and consumption. Bresdin was a master of this medium, exploiting its capacity for detail to create intensely personal, even visionary images. Yet these images were also commodities, made to be bought and sold in the marketplace. So, consider how the labor-intensive process of etching allowed Bresdin to share his unique vision with a wider audience, navigating the complex relationship between art, craft, and commerce.