Illustration to Odyssey 1793

This line engraving of a scene from the Odyssey was made by John Flaxman, a British artist working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process, where the artist uses a tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate. Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped away, leaving ink only in the incised lines. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. In Flaxman's time, engraving was a widely used commercial technique, and the graphic style of this artwork, with its clear, even lines, shows a relationship with this mode of production. It is quite different from the fine, freely drawn qualities usually associated with 'high art'. Flaxman’s choice of engraving connects this mythological scene to a wider social context of labor, industry, and distribution. By emphasizing the importance of materials, making, and context, we can begin to understand the full meaning of an artwork, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.