De kleine schuiten 1894

This is 'De kleine schuiten' or 'The Small Boats' by James Ensor, made using etching. Ensor’s choice of etching is significant. Unlike painting, which emphasizes the artist's hand and unique vision, etching is an indirect process. He would have applied a waxy ground to a metal plate, scratched his design into it, and then submerged the plate in acid. This eats away at the exposed metal, leaving behind incised lines that hold the ink. The resulting image has a somewhat mechanical quality, made more immediate by the linear nature of the design. Look closely, and you'll see that the image is composed of many marks, built up through labor. In effect, this etching process democratizes image-making, making it reproducible and accessible. The boats themselves speak to industry and labor, a fleet for work. Ensor’s focus on process, as much as the subject matter, blurs the line between fine art and craft, questioning the value we place on each.