Diverse mensen marcheren achter de Dood aan 1830

This print, "Diverse mensen marcheren achter de Dood aan", was made by Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard Grandville. The print is made using lithography, a process that democratized image-making in the 19th century. In lithography, the artist draws on a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then applies ink, which adheres only to the drawn areas. This allows for relatively quick reproduction, making images accessible to a wider public, and is a world away from the labour intensive crafts of engraving or etching. The choice of lithography as a medium underscores the print's social commentary. Grandville depicts Death leading a diverse procession of people, perhaps suggesting the inevitability of mortality for all, regardless of social status. The lithographic process itself, with its capacity for mass production, mirrors the leveling effect of death. The print thus becomes not just a depiction of social critique, but a product of the very forces it critiques, highlighting the complex relationship between art, production, and society.