Landschap met boerderij en paard en wagen op landweg 1827

Johannes van Cuylenburgh created this print of a landscape with a farm using etching, a printmaking technique that democratized image production in his time. Look closely, and you’ll see how the image is composed of lines, created by carefully drawing through a waxy ground on a metal plate, which was then exposed to acid. The acid bites into the metal where the ground has been removed, creating recessed lines that hold ink. When the plate is pressed against paper, the image is transferred. Etching allowed for a level of detail that was hard to achieve through engraving, making it easier to reproduce images and distribute them widely. It was a process suited to a rapidly industrializing world, where even fine art was subject to the pressures of mass production. Consider all the labor involved, from the artist to the printer. Thinking about art in terms of materials, making, and context helps us understand its full meaning, and challenges the old idea that there's a sharp line between fine art and craft.