Study of a Tree 1816

Jean Victor Bertin made this ‘Study of a Tree’ using etching on paper sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Etching is an indirect method of printmaking. The artist covers a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, and then scratches an image into that ground with a needle. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating an image in relief. The more time the plate spends in the acid, the deeper the lines. Bertin could therefore control the tonal range in this image, from the delicate foliage in the crown of the tree, to the much darker trunk and roots. What's interesting here is the way the printmaking process, traditionally considered a reproductive medium, is used to evoke the organic nature of a tree. It's a fascinating example of how a mechanical process can be used to depict the natural world. This piece invites us to reconsider the artistry involved in printmaking, and to question the divide between craft and fine art.