Diverse figuurtypen uit de mijnbouw 1874 - 1894

Karl Meunier created this print, "Diverse figuurtypen uit de mijnbouw," using etching, a printmaking technique dependent on craft and chemistry. The image is built from multiple lightly-etched plates; a veritable collage of faces, figures and buildings from a mining community. Etching begins with a metal plate covered in a waxy, acid-resistant ground. The artist scratches an image into the ground, exposing the metal. Then, the plate is immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling the etched lines. The surface is wiped clean, and paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print. Consider the implications of this reproducible medium. The artist shows us working-class people, perhaps hoping to distribute this image widely to promote social awareness. Mining was arduous work, and it is powerfully conveyed here through the faces of the workers. This artwork reminds us that aesthetic expression is always intertwined with social and economic realities.