The Forge 1861

James Abbott McNeill Whistler made this print titled "The Forge" using etching, a printmaking technique that involves using acid to cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. The print shows a group of workers in a forge, their labor captured in a fleeting moment. The etcher's marks themselves mirror the industrial processes they depict, with thin lines evoking the heat, smoke, and intense physical effort of metalworking. Whistler's approach is interesting here, because he was often associated with "art for art's sake" and the aesthetic movement, yet he directs his gaze at the working class. You can see that he's more interested in the tonal qualities of the scene than the specifics of the labor, but the work ethic is honored nonetheless. By focusing on the aesthetics of labor, Whistler blurs the lines between fine art and the everyday realities of industrial life. He asks us to consider the beauty inherent in the act of making.