De Baders 1917

Léon Spilliaert's "De Baders" is a lithograph on paper, and the image emerges from the labor-intensive process of printmaking, a medium historically tied to mass production. Here, the artist has used lithography to create a scene both intimate and unsettling. The soft, grainy texture of the lithographic crayon gives the scene an almost dreamlike quality. Look closely, and you’ll notice how Spilliaert uses the inherent qualities of the medium – its capacity for subtle gradations and delicate lines – to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. Lithography, with its origins in commercial printing, allowed artists to create multiple originals, blurring the lines between unique artwork and reproduction. It’s important to remember that the “aura” of a work of art, as Walter Benjamin famously put it, is never solely about its uniqueness, but also about its accessibility and its role in a wider social and economic context. This print invites us to consider the relationship between art, labor, and the democratizing potential of mass production. By exploring such pieces, we recognize the significance of materials and making in understanding the full meaning of an artwork.