Vrouw kijkend naar het water 1844

Charles Jacque created this print, “Vrouw kijkend naar het water,” using etching, a printmaking technique that involves drawing with a needle on a metal plate covered in wax. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the metal where the wax has been removed. The deeper the bite, the darker the line. Looking closely, you can see how Jacque varied his marks to create light and shadow, capturing the texture of the landscape and the woman’s garments. The final print, made by inking the plate and pressing it onto paper, carries a trace of all these earlier steps. Printmaking was crucial to the development of modern capitalism, allowing images to be widely disseminated. Here, the etching process, with its reliance on skilled labor and mechanical reproduction, becomes a medium not just for artistic expression, but also for broader social and economic forces. This work invites us to consider how art is always entangled with the conditions of its making.