Anatomische studie van de hersenen 1685

This "Anatomische studie van de hersenen" was made by Pieter van Gunst, using engraving, a printmaking technique. It reverses the usual approach. Instead of adding lines to build up an image, the artist carves away at the metal plate, leaving behind the lines that will hold the ink. Look at how the gradations of tone are achieved. Rather than continuous shading, Gunst relies on hatching, building up dense thickets of tiny marks. The quality of the line is all-important, and the engraver must master complete control of pressure and speed to get it just right. Of course, the subject matter of the artwork is itself a kind of material – the very stuff of our minds! And in Gunst's time, scientific knowledge was very much a collective endeavor. So, while we celebrate individual artists and makers, it is always worth remembering the complex social context in which they worked. Ultimately, this image asks us to consider how the brain, the hand, and the mind are all intimately connected.