An Old Man (Saint Paul) 1530 - 1566

Nicolas Beatrizet’s engraving, "An Old Man (Saint Paul)," was made in the mid-16th century using a printmaking technique called “burin engraving.” The image emerges from the precise, laborious act of incising lines onto a copper plate with a tool called a burin. Consider the graphic quality of the artwork. The lines define the form and create a range of tones, from the deepest shadows to the lightest areas. The act of engraving is labor-intensive and requires great skill. Each line is the result of physical effort and control, reflecting the engraver's mastery over the material. Beatrizet would have also needed to apply his understanding of perspective, shading and anatomy to create the final artwork. "An Old Man (Saint Paul)" isn’t just a picture; it’s a record of a skilled artisan’s time and effort, merging technical expertise, artistic sensibility, and a profound understanding of the cultural context of the era. To fully understand the artwork, we should consider the nature of craft, skill and production.