Boerenerf 1876

Rodolphe Piguet made this print, Boerenerf, using etching. Look closely, and you'll notice that the image is built up through a dense network of tiny lines. These lines aren’t drawn directly onto the paper; they are etched into a metal plate using acid, which then receives ink. The plate is effectively carved through chemical means, and the lines are subsequently printed onto paper. This indirect process allows for the creation of a detailed, highly reproducible image. Etching was often used for mass production, and could disseminate images widely. Here, the subject matter is a farm scene. So we see how the technologies of industrialization were brought to bear on a very traditional subject, in a period when rural ways of life were rapidly being eclipsed. Paying attention to the materials and methods used to create an artwork helps us to see the dialogue between tradition and modernity, craft and industry.