Mouldering Tree Trunk 1794

Johann Georg von Dillis created this print, Mouldering Tree Trunk, using etching, a process dependent on metal and acid. The etcher covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, and then scratches an image into that surface. The plate is then submerged in acid, which bites away at the exposed metal, leaving behind incised lines. Here, Dillis has used this process to capture the texture of bark, and the subtle changes in tone that describe light filtering through a forest. The etched line is especially well-suited to this subject; it can range from delicate and wispy to deeply gouged and assertive. Considered alongside drawing and painting, printmaking can often be overlooked. Yet, processes like etching are themselves highly skilled traditions, with their own aesthetic qualities. Close inspection of Mouldering Tree Trunk invites appreciation of this rich and important history. Recognizing the material basis of a work like this helps us to move beyond conventional ideas about fine art.