Boer uit Parijs 1618

This print, made by Claes Jansz. Visscher, shows a woodcutter carrying a heavy load. The work is all about the etched line, isn't it? Think about the physicality of that process. Visscher had to apply a waxy ground to a copper plate, then scratch the design through it with a fine needle. The plate would then be immersed in acid, which bit into the metal, creating recessed lines. Ink was applied and then wiped away, leaving it only in those etched furrows. When the plate was pressed against paper, the image was transferred. Here, the lines work hard, conveying the woodcutter’s exhaustion, the weight of the wood. This wasn't just a virtuoso display, but a means to record the labor of the working class and to disseminate it widely, thanks to printmaking's reproducibility. The artwork, therefore, becomes not just an image but a document, deeply intertwined with the social fabric of its time.