Mother's Grave 1922

This is Marc Chagall’s etching, "Mother's Grave." An etching like this begins with a metal plate, likely copper or zinc. The artist covers the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant coating, then draws through the coating with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. The plate is inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, it's pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The resulting print bears a unique texture and quality of line, distinct from a drawing or painting. Note the stark simplicity of the lines, which bring a raw emotionality. Chagall returned to printmaking throughout his career, perhaps because its accessibility resonated with his socialist politics. A relatively inexpensive medium, it allowed for broader distribution of his deeply personal and culturally specific imagery. It is in this convergence of material, process, and social context that the true power of Chagall's "Mother's Grave" resides.