En hestestald 1852

Carl Frederik Bartsch created this print titled 'En hestestald', or 'A horse stable', using etching. Its immediate visual impact is the stark contrast between light and shadow, achieved through fine, dense lines. The composition centres on two horses, their forms emerging from the darkness of the stable interior. Bartsch's technique emphasizes texture, particularly in the rough-hewn walls and the horses' coats. This attention to materiality, to the very substance of the depicted scene, resonates with a formalist reading. We can consider how the etching process itself – the incising of lines into a metal plate – mirrors the way light etches forms into our perception. The subtle gradations of tone, from the bright doorway to the deep shadows, suggest a concern with the structure of space. The lines do not merely describe the scene. They actively construct a world of tactile, visual experience. This invites us to think about how art destabilizes the boundaries between representation and material presence.