Piazza San Marco te Venetië 1741

Michele Marieschi made this print of the Piazza San Marco in Venice in the 1700s. It’s an etching, meaning that the artist carefully scratched lines into a metal plate, which was then inked and printed. The real artistry here lies in the line work. Notice how Marieschi uses closely spaced, parallel lines to create areas of shadow, and how he varies the weight and direction of the lines to suggest different textures and materials. This level of detail is remarkable, especially considering the scale of the print, and it shows that Marieschi was a highly skilled craftsman. This was a period when Venice was a popular destination for wealthy tourists. Prints like this one were often sold as souvenirs, so in a sense, Marieschi was catering to the demands of the tourist trade. But that doesn't diminish the artistry or the craftsmanship of this piece. By paying attention to the making, we can appreciate the skill and the labor that went into creating this image of Venice.