Landscape with the Calling of St. Peter 1605 - 1660

This is Landscape with the Calling of St. Peter, an etching made by Jacob Pynas, likely in the early 17th century. The image is printed from a metal plate, likely copper, where the artist would have used a sharp needle to draw the design, line by line, through a wax ground. Consider how the artist approached the task, building up the image through a labor-intensive process of scratching and incising. Pynas’s method allowed for the creation of fine, detailed lines, visible in the delicate rendering of the landscape and figures. The etched lines create a sense of depth and texture. The softness of the light is built up with countless tiny strokes. The landscape, though seemingly natural, is idealized, constructed from the accumulation of these finely wrought marks. Through the medium of etching, Pynas transforms base metal into an ethereal vision, inviting us to reflect on the relationship between material, labor, and artistic creation.