Drie aardappelrooiers c. 1887

Willem Witsen made this print, Three Potato Diggers, using the technique of etching. Think about what that means: the artist would have prepared a metal plate, coated it with a waxy ground, and then scratched an image into the surface. This reveals the bare metal, which is then bitten by acid. The longer the plate is exposed, the deeper the lines become. It’s an indirect process, reliant on chemical action. See how the figures in the print seem to emerge from the darkness? This effect is heightened by the deep, velvety blacks achieved through the etching process. The figures, bent over their labor, become a study in the human cost of food production. The act of making this print, itself a kind of labor, invites us to consider the countless hours of unseen work that sustain society. Witsen prompts us to consider the value of manual labor, and the artistry inherent in everyday life.