Schaatsers bij een kasteel 1852 - 1868

This print, "Skaters by a Castle," was made by Louis Smets using etching, a printmaking technique. To create this image, Smets would have coated a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratched an image into it with a needle. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed metal lines, creating grooves. Ink was applied to the plate, filling the etched lines, and the surface was wiped clean. Finally, the plate was pressed onto a sheet of paper, transferring the image. The resulting image, in tones of gray, has an intimate, immediate quality due to the hand-worked nature of the process. It has a direct link to labor; the final print indexes the artist's hand and is a product of skilled work. Smets's choice of printmaking underscores the democratic nature of the medium, making art more accessible at a time when the art market was burgeoning. Smets transforms metal, acid, and ink into an enduring image of leisure.