Dorpsgezicht bij avond before 1935

Andries van den Berg made this print, "Dorpsgezicht bij avond", using etching and possibly other techniques. It's not just about the image, but also about the labor involved in its making. Think about the process: the artist carefully covers a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then draws through it with a sharp needle. The plate is submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate and then wiped, remaining only in the etched lines. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the image. That's a lot of steps to create one single image! Each pull from the plate would be slightly different, bearing the marks of the artist’s hand. The resulting print, with its dense lines and tonal variations, embodies the artist’s careful work, but also connects to a much wider world of labor, trade, and consumption. By understanding how this print was made, and the skilled tradition that informs its making, we see how the distinction between art and craft becomes less relevant, and how the value of labor and materials are brought to the fore.