Landschap met graanoogst 1708 - 1759

Giuliano Giampiccoli made this etching, *Landschap met graanoogst*, which translates to "Landscape with Grain Harvest", in the 1700s. Look closely, and you can almost feel the sun on your back and the scratch of the stubble on your hands. That’s because this isn’t just a picture of labor, it’s also a product of it. Consider the copperplate, carefully burnished and polished to a mirror finish. The design would have been incised with a sharp tool, printed with considerable pressure, resulting in the delicate lines you see before you. What is most striking is the contrast between this highly refined process and the scene it depicts: the grueling labor of harvest. While the figures are generalized, almost decorative, the print itself invites us to consider the physical realities of agricultural work, the basis of society and the source of all wealth. Recognizing the labor involved in the making of art can help us appreciate the labor represented within it, blurring the lines between fine art and the everyday conditions of life.