Zicht op een van de torens van het kasteel van Dinan 1858 - 1863

This print, "Zicht op een van de torens van het kasteel van Dinan," was made by Léon Auguste Asselineau. It’s an intricate lithograph, a printmaking technique that relies on the careful application of oil and water. The image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then treated with acid. When water is applied, it adheres only to the untreated areas, while oily ink sticks to the drawn parts, allowing the image to be transferred to paper. Notice how Asselineau uses this method to capture the rough texture of the stone masonry. He creates a tangible sense of the castle’s imposing presence, as well as the labor involved in the original construction. The print itself would have required considerable skill, a different kind of labor, yet one also deeply embedded in material knowledge. Thinking about this image, we can appreciate how the processes of both building and image-making contribute to our understanding of history. It makes us think of the labor involved in producing both the castle, and this print, and how both resonate across time.