Apollo en de muzen 1555

This print, "Apollo en de muzen," was made with ink on paper by Jan van Stalburch. Engraving is an intaglio process; lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed against paper. The resulting image, like this one, has a crisp, linear quality. Consider the labor involved in such a print. Every line you see had to be deliberately carved by the artist. And because prints can be editioned, the matrix effectively multiplies the artist's hand. In other words, this kind of image was made with both craft and commercial considerations in mind. It is art as a kind of proto-industrial production. Paying attention to the materials and process helps us understand the work's cultural significance beyond its classical subject matter. It challenges the idea that prints are somehow "less than" painting or sculpture. This work of graphic art testifies to the ingenuity and effort that goes into all forms of making.