Landschap met reizigers 1750 - 1850

Gaetano Testolini created this landscape with travelers sometime in the late 18th century, rendered as an engraving. Engraving is an intaglio process; the artist would have used a tool called a burin to manually carve lines into a copper plate, creating an image in reverse. Ink is then applied to the plate, pushed into the carved lines, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, paper is pressed against the plate with a printing press, transferring the ink and creating the final image. The linear quality of the engraving lends itself well to capturing the textures of the landscape, from the foliage of the trees to the distant mountains. But it is a demanding technique, requiring patience, skill, and considerable physical effort. In this period, prints were not just artworks in themselves but also a key method for distributing images widely. This speaks to an emerging culture of mass communication, and the commercialization of art.