Weg langs een rivier 1850

Joseph Hartogensis made this print, "Weg langs een rivier," using etching, a printmaking technique that allows for fine detail and delicate lines. Hartogensis would have coated a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratched an image into the coating with a needle. The plate was then immersed in acid, which bit into the metal where the coating had been removed, creating recessed lines. The plate was then inked, the surface wiped clean, and the print pulled. Notice the richness of tone achieved through the close hatching, and how the artist captured the atmospheric effects of light and water through the precise control of his burin. Think of the labor involved in the production process, the time and expertise required to create this image, and the many other prints that would have been pulled from the same plate. With its attention to the everyday, this seemingly straightforward landscape in fact reflects the world of labor, industry, and commerce that surrounded its making.