Ruth en Boaz in de graanschuur 1580

Hendrick Goltzius made this print, *Ruth and Boaz in the Barn*, using the technique of engraving, sometime around 1590. Engraving is an exacting, labor-intensive process. Using a tool called a burin, the artist gouges lines directly into a copper plate. The deeper the cut, the more ink it will hold, and the darker the resulting line in the print. This allowed Goltzius to create areas of shadow, as we see in the interior, to contrast with the moonlit landscape. The contrast is further enhanced by the texture of the laid paper he printed on. But let's think about the content of the image, too. It comes from the Old Testament, and shows the poor widow Ruth gleaning grain in the field of the wealthy Boaz. We can see that Goltzius had an eye for the material realities of rural life, which of course depended on a great deal of work. It’s a great reminder that art, like agriculture, is a product of human effort, and carries its own social significance.