Pottenbakker 1889

Otto Rasch’s etching depicts a potter at work, likely created around the turn of the 20th century. The print captures the intimate, strenuous process of shaping clay on a spinning wheel. Rasch’s choice of etching mirrors the potter’s craft. The artist carefully incised lines onto a metal plate, mirroring the potter’s hands coaxing the clay into form. The density of the marks creates a tangible sense of the potter's labor, the weight of the clay, and the delicate balance required to bring the vessel into being. This image stands as a testament to the skilled hand labor that defined craft traditions. In a rapidly industrializing world, Rasch elevates the potter's work, inviting us to recognize the inherent value and artistry within these traditions, and raising questions about how such skills would survive in the modern age.