Les Propos de Thomas Vireloque: Under the Roof of Heavens 1852

Paul Gavarni made this print, "Under the Roof of Heavens," using etching. This intaglio process involves drawing an image into a prepared ground on a metal plate, biting it with acid, and then printing it. The quality of line achieved through etching is remarkable. Gavarni creates a shadowy vision of the urban poor. Note the slumped postures of the two men, and the heavy darkness that surrounds them. This wasn’t just a technical demonstration, it was social commentary. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive, a way to communicate radical ideas. They were also reproducible, and therefore could be widely distributed. We see the material and process of printmaking used here to highlight issues of labor, class, and the spaces of the city, expanding traditional definitions of art to include a wider social context.