Stier 1824

Johannes Mock created this etching of a bull sometime in the 19th century. The image is made through a labor-intensive printmaking process, where the artist would have used a sharp needle to draw into a metal plate coated with wax. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, before being inked and printed. The fine lines of the etching capture the texture of the bull's fur and musculature. It is a working animal, thin and angular rather than idealized and robust. Mock was documenting livestock at a time when agriculture was increasingly industrialized. This bull is an instrument of agricultural labor, and the print, a commodity in its own right. Considering the skill and effort required for such a detailed etching, we can appreciate how the print elevates a common farm animal to the realm of fine art. It invites us to reconsider the value of labor, both animal and human, and the intersection of art, craft, and everyday life.