Figuur in een bos met hoge bomen 1850 - 1913

H. van Meerbeeck created this image, "Figuur in een bos met hoge bomen," or "Figure in a forest with tall trees," using etching, a printmaking technique that requires immense patience and control. To create an etching like this, the artist coats a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then draws into this coating with a sharp needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is applied into these grooves, the surface wiped clean, and the image transferred to paper under great pressure. The resulting image is striking, and rendered with the labor-intensive approach of handcraft. The starkness of the trees and the solitary figure emphasize the sense of scale, a reminder of the natural world’s indifference to human concerns. While seemingly traditional, etching was also used for mass production, for purposes as diverse as technical drawing and propaganda. Therefore it can be appreciated both as an expressive artform, and in relation to wider economic and social structures.