Man achter een leestafel 1834 - 1898

This print, by Felicien Rops, shows a man at a lectern, surrounded by books. It was made using etching, a traditional printmaking process. The image begins with a metal plate, likely copper or zinc. The artist would have coated the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then scratched away lines to expose the metal underneath. Immersing the plate in acid etches those exposed lines, creating grooves that hold ink. This is then transferred to paper using a printing press. Here, Rops uses the etched line to describe the scene, from the figure's tired posture to the heavy tomes piled around him. He emphasizes the density of intellectual labor, perhaps reflecting the growing accessibility of books in the 19th century. The etching process itself, a means of mass production, mirrors this expansion of knowledge and its relationship to a rapidly changing, industrializing society. Ultimately, the image reminds us that the consumption of information is itself a form of work. By understanding the materials and processes, we see how this artwork speaks to the cultural and social context of its time.