On the Banks of the Loing: The Cart 1890

Alfred Sisley made this print, "On the Banks of the Loing: The Cart," using etching, a printmaking technique dependent on acid. The artist would have applied a waxy ground to a metal plate, scratched an image into it, then bathed the plate in acid, which bites away at the exposed metal. This print shows Sisley's mastery of the etching process. Look closely, and you'll notice the range of marks he's created – light and feathery in the sky and foliage, darker and more emphatic in the architecture and figures. These tones are achieved by varying the depth of the lines, controlling the amount of time the plate is exposed to acid. Printmaking was essential to Impressionism, making their art more accessible to a wider public. In this print, Sisley captures the essence of rural France, while also engaging with the industrialized process of printmaking. Recognizing the labor and skill involved in the production process is key to understanding the full meaning of Sisley's art.