Amsterdamse grachtenhuizen aan de Keizersgracht 452 en 480-476 1696 - 1706

This print shows canal houses on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, and was made by an anonymous artist. The printmaking technique used here is fascinating, because it relies on the same design principles and labor divisions as the construction of buildings themselves. Just as a building is assembled from discrete units according to a plan, so too is this image. The different colors would have required separate plates and multiple runs through the press. Look closely and you can almost see the steps of construction. The doors and windowpanes, picked out in red and white, bring the facades to life. But more than this, the image provides a record of the materials and the craft involved in the making of these dwellings. The print reminds us that even the most apparently straightforward images are themselves constructions, built up laboriously. Recognizing this connection encourages us to think about how artistic and architectural creation are intertwined.