Productie van kopergravures 1589 - 1593

This engraving, "Production of Copper Engravings," was created by Philips Galle around the late 16th century. The artist employs hatching to build up areas of tone. The composition is complex but ordered, with the figures carefully arranged to show the various stages of print production. The strong horizontal lines of the architecture give the scene structure and a sense of stability, which contrasts with the implied movement of the machinery and the bustling figures. Galle uses perspective to create depth, guiding our eyes from the foreground activities to the smaller, more distant figures in the background. The print not only documents the technological processes of its time but also reflects the burgeoning culture of information and image dissemination. Note how Galle uses line to capture the textures of fabric, wood, and metal, thus emphasizing the materiality of the printing process. It invites us to consider how new technologies transform both artistic practices and our understanding of the world.